(Tremor OP Corner): His Story, a New Chapter and a New Beginning
by Tremor230
Summary: Winner of the Poll with an astounding 72% AU/OOC. Naruto dies when his Rasengan back-fires and kills him and Sasuke, he dies as Auron in Spira after defeating Sin and Yevon and now he has to return again as Auron in a Konoha where their Naruto died the night Kurama attacked. Really, can't an Hero rest in peace? WTF! Now he has to fix everything in an alternative Konoha too! WHY?
1. Chapter 1

**The Winner of my "Next OP Corner Story" Poll with a staggering, mind-blowing, incomparable 72% of the votes that went to this story!  
**

 **The Naruto/Zone of the enders one will be posted when this will be completed. as a Thank You for the ones that voted for my Jehuty!Naruto Story.**

 **I'll try to stay in character, but the "Silent Hero" Type is kind of hard for me, so** ** _PLEASE_** **excuse me if sometimes I will derail into OOC territory. I am not doing it on purpose** ** _this time._**

" **You bastard"** \- demon talking / jutsu

"Let's finish this" - dialogue

" _Can it get any worse?_ " - during flashback/ Thoughts

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything else I will use nor I make a profit out of this, I am writing just for the pleasure of doing it.**

 **Chapter 1: this is my story...**

 **(Naruto/Final Fantasy X crossover) Pairing Naruto/Anko (Because I think she is the one " _Closer"_ to being Like _Rikku_ was in the game).**

 **Farplane – Otherworld -**

There were Pyreflies.

Pyreflies everywhere, filling the infinite _garden_ that was the Farplane in the world of Spira, a deep sense of peace was in the air as those orbs kept moving around, shining in an infinite variety of colours, little living _sparks_ that calmly floated in the air representing the spirit of the dead.

Just one little group though moved by its own, following a precise _path_ studied so to have the small cluster keep some distance from the others.

 ** _'_ _You know this is not your place, don't you?_ _'_ **

The voice was at the same time male and female, old and young; this strange malformation coming from the speaking being's "ruined existence", result of centuries spent _jumping_ from a body to another and carrying small parts of the previous Host during the transition to a new one.

 _'After all this time...you still have to courage to talk? To me especially?'_

The answer came from a young male.

 _ **'Was it wrong for me to try and defend a dream?'**_

The 'chorus' of voices asked curious.

 _'It was when countless people suffered for it!'_

The solitary group of pyryflies started moving again after that, floating towards an isolated area with a single pyryfly following shortly behind.

 _ **'Running away is not what you usually do.'**_

The voices said again with no inflection, no amusement and no anger, just words waiting for an answer.

 _'What do you want from me, Yu Yevon_?'

The group of pyryflies 'asked' in clear annoyance.

"It's more like what YOU want from us..." a young boy wearing an hooded coat asked as his body appeared out of nowhere.

 _'I thought that you Fayths would have been happy to finally rest, Fayth of Bahamut, and yet here you are'._

"We are happy to finally 'rest', that is true; both you and the boy did what we asked, Tidus will finally 'rest' just like us...you instead, Auron..." the Fayth said getting closer to the lone group of lights.

 _'Yes? I completed my mission; I protected Yuna, stopped Sin and brought peace to Spira, I paid whatever_ debt _I had with you all!'_

At this the solitary Pyryfly got closer, this time its voices sounding pained.

 _ **'They got what they wanted, now you can return where you belong.'**_

The small group _condensed_ slightly as the various pyryflies forming it drew closer to each other.

 _'I belong to Spira now, here I was reborn and here I died...'_ that place' _has no more meaning to me.'_

"That is not true and you know it, but where you'll go is not the _original one_ , but a new one, a _version_ of it where your strength is still needed, there you will find your  True Peace," the Fayth said shaking his head.

 _'Have I not the right to refuse? Have I not the right to Rest in Peace here?'_

"Not when we know that your heart still wants to have a life there," The Fayth answered shaking his head.

 _'My story reached it's end, there is no reason for it to start again.'_

"It won't be a new start...just a 'New chapter', Auron" the cloaked boy said in amusement as a bright light engulfed everything.

As the light slowly started to fade away trees came into view, then the grass, the leaves falling down, the rocks and the noise of running water filling the Pyryflies' ears immediately after.

"The **Valley of the End**..." the Pyryflies said sighing as they _condensed_ into a body.

The man that appeared in place of the _Spiritual Orbs_ was wearing a deep red haori with red lining kept closed with a thick black and blue strap with two brown belts wrapped around it.

Looking at his hands the man sighed again while tucking his left arm into the front of his haori, making it look as though his arm was in a sling.

Completing the strange man's outfit was a brown shoulder pad on his left shoulder intricately decorated with tan, green and blue patterns with a beaded ornament dangling from it, black pants and shoes that have brown straps and triangular metal plating and a black shirt with a gray collar with intersecting brown straps high enough to cover his mouth.

"How much time has passed..." he mused as wind passed through his long dark black hair with gray streaks held back by a gold ribbon.

Looking at his reflection in the water the _Revived_ Auron could see his 'new body' looking back at him, the large scar over the right half of his face and over his eye testament of his attack towards Yunaleska still there as a reminder of his old failure.

Seeing where he was he briefly entertained himself with the idea to have " _a_ _c_ _ertain eye"_ implanted there just like an old 'acquaintance' of his past.

As he adjusted his black sunglasses below his eyes and secured to his right hip the jug with the word "Nog" written on it in Spiran he started moving towards what he used to consider his _Home_ up until that cursed day, a day where his life changed, either for the best or for the worst he still couldn't say.

"Konoha..." the man muttered as his _past life_ replayed in front of him just like a taunting spectre.

He saw _himself_...the polar opposite of what he was now.

He saw his fighting against what he believed was his friend.

He saw a bright sphere of energy clashing with black lightning until both technique collapsed, tearing the raven haired boy in front of him to shreds and removing his own torso.

He saw as his _old self_ watched the other boy's body burn to ashes as a third person, an adult with grey hair, joined the scene desperately trying to save him, muttering apologies while pressing down on his wounds to stop the bleeding.

He saw those blond hair he used to have getting stained in blood as it was pooling around his small frame.

Then he remembered the deep voice of what lived 'inside him'.

" _ **You know it has not to be like this,**_ " the voice resounded like an echo as the world seemed to freeze while the Fayth of Bahamuth neared him, presenting his hand and an alternative at dying.

He remembered, he remembered eagerly taking that hand after the giant creature sealed in him literally pushed him towards the hooded entity, taking his place in death with a smile on its enormous face, telling him that being dead "for good" was a good alternative at being sealed again.

After that...

After that he was in Spira, _Reborn_ in a certain way as the son of an old swordsman that then enrolled him as a Monk at Bevelle where his still brash attitude, already _dying_ after what happened, was completely removed as he went through his training, turning him in who he was, or used to be.

And he remembered Braska, his gentle smile and his honour, he remembered watching in admiration as he kept going forward no matter what, and he remembered how much he respected the man for being what he used to wish to become when he was still a young fool.

When the _Memories_ reached again his meeting with Jecht he couldn't help but look away, the man had remembered to Auron his _old life_ so much that he wasn't surprised by his initial dislike for the man, watching his attitude as a ticket to failure just like his own  old knuckle-headed view of life had brought him to.

" _...I see utter irony in this instead, my friend_..." the image of Braska said with a chuckle as Auron's double kept dismissing Jecht as unfit for a Guardian.

" _Irony?_ " he heard himself ask confused.

" _Delightful_ _irony even, consider it like this: a disgraced monk, a summoner with a "heathen" Al Bhed wife and an "half-breed" daughter, and a drunk man from Zanarkand, three_ outcasts _saving Spira together...it would be quite an hit to a lot of peoples' concept of things..._ " _Braska_ answered with the same words he used that day as the _visions_ disappeared, leaving his old sword **Masamune** waiting for him while shining proudly in the sun.

"Let's go." Auron simply muttered after strapping the blade to his back and moving where he _remembered_ being the village of Konoha.

Had he look behind, he would have seen Pyryflies moving around to form the bodies of Braska, Jecht and Tidus with the three men looking at him in pride, happy to see him return to his rightful home.

" _Good luck, my friend...It was an honour fighting with you during the Pilgrimage,_ " Braska said saluting the warrior with a deep bow.

" _Yeah, it was funny, even if from what I saw I would have preferred having his_ blond version _with us,"_ Jecht said grinning, making Tidus near him shake his head smirking.

" _See you again, old man!_ _A_ _nd try to find a girl for yourself!_ " Tidus said as the three faded away with Jecht's barking laugh as background.

 **In the meantime – forest -**

"Uh?" Auron looked behind, momentarily stopping mid-step to see what could have caught his attention.

He was fairly certain that Jecht was having a laugh at his expenses, shaking his head he started again to move towards the village, wondering what could he do now that he was _technically_ back in his world.

He was a warrior now, a swordsman and former Guardian, the shinobi way of life was no longer appealing to him; he will just try and see if Hiruzen, or whoever was the Hokage there, would be interested in having him joining the village forces, now that he apparently had his body back he will need actual food and a place where to rest after all.

He still wondered how the others did not notice he could go on without eating anything or sleep while with them, especially Kimahri and Lulu since the two were the more ' _spiritually aware_ ' of the group.

A shift in the air called him back to attention making him calmly taking his sword out and freeing his arm from the haori as he kept walking, clearly daring his pursuers to attack; years upon years of fights against fiends helped in sharpening his senses enough to _feel_ when someone with bad intentions came too close to him.

Once the gates of Konoha came into view the mysterious stalkers showed themselves as four animal-masked shinobi jumping down the trees and in front of him blocking his path.

"State your business, samurai." the one with long purple hair asked with a cold tone of voice.

"Looking at him, I think he is more like a _Ronin,_ " one of the others said.

"What are you doing here?" the Masked woman, by her voice, asked again grabbing the hilt of her sword in a threatening way.

"I wish to join the village," Auron replied calmly.

"Why?"

"I need a place to stay," he answered.

"A great talker, eh?" one of the ANBU said jokingly

"What happened to your lord?" the Female ANBU asked.

"I accompanied him in his Pilgrimage, at his death once our mission was over I promised I would have protected his daughter and the son of the man accompanying me, that mission too is complete and now I am here," Auron answered.

"Why Konoha?" another ANBU asked.

"It was closer," he simply answered.

"If you really want to join us we will need to question you, give us your weapons and come with us," the woman asked getting closer.

She stopped abruptly when a flash of light moved in front of her face, the cold steel of the blade barely a millimeter away from where would have been her eye had the mask not been there.

"My sword stays with me," he answered as the other ANBU unsheathed their weapons.

"Drop your weapon!" the woman commanded jumping back, she too with a sword at ready.

"There is no need to fight, I have not bad intentions," Auron said simply, lowering Masamune on his shoulder but never leaving his battle stance.

"Attacking me says otherwise," the woman answered.

"I am in a foreign territory, going around unarmed would not be safe," he answered.

"Tell you what, let's have a spar!" a male voice behind the mask of a boar said curious.

"What are you saying?" the woman asked without moving her gaze from Auron.

"If he wants to join our village, why not _Test him_ ourselves?" _Boar_ answered.

"You are saying this only because you want his sword," the one near him, wearing a frog mask, said chuckling.

"Yeah, that too, that thing looks awesome!" the other answered.

"Which one of us?" the third member of the squad, an Eagle-masked Anbu, asked.

" _Cat?_ What about her?" _Frog_ said.

"Me!?" the woman, _Cat,_ asked pointing at herself.

"Yeah, you are one of the best, _Cat-san_ " _Eagle_ answered nodding.

"What will we tell then to the Hokage?" _Cat_ said.

"If we win, we drag the bastard in for questioning so to see if he can really be enrolled in our forces," _Boar_ answered.

"And if HE wins?" _Eagle_ asked.

"No offence, buddy! but I don't think you will win," _Frog_ said chuckling and looking at Auron.

"If I need to do this to pass, then I will do it, I guess." Auron answered simply.

"Do you know some jutsus?" _Cat_ asked.

His first instinct was to tell her: " _Two actually,_ _ **Shadow clone**_ _and_ _ **Rasengan.**_ " but in this body he had not undertone ninja training while the little magic Lulu taught him was better to keep secret, its not requiring hand-seals would have attracted too much attention.

"No." he answered at the end.

"Then to be a little fair We'll keep this on sword-fight only, you sure you want to do this?" the woman asked getting a nod as an answer.

"Good! I'll be the referee!" _Boar_ said as the other ANBU moved on the trees to watch over the fight.

"As you wish," Auron said simply.

"Both ready?" the ANBU asked.

"Yes," _Cat_ said while Auron just nodded.

"Then...HAJIME!" the ANBU called out as the two longed at each other.

 **Konoha – Hokage office – one hour later -**

Behind the desk stood an old man wearing a white robe and a conical hat with _Fire_ written on it, he was Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hokage of Konoha and he was still arguing with several shinobi that had barged in his office ten minutes before.

"And I keep telling you that I saw it! A freaking Tornado of Fire! It was a fucking pillar of flames! How come you didn't see that!?" one of the shinobi yelled at the others.

"If it was there it lasted only an instant, Hayate, because I did not see that myself," Hiruzen said while trying to calm down the situation.

"Hokage-sama? Other people are reporting about the same thing, apparently a lot of civilians saw said Tornado appearing for an instant just outside the gate before dispelling rapidly," the old man's secretary said entering the room while a rather big group of people could be seen waiting outside.

"Do we have anyone in the area?" Hiruzen asked surprised that he himself had missed that.

" _Cat_ and her squad should be re-entering from their mission by now, probably they saw what happened," the secretary answered.

"Have them come here as soon as they reach Konoha, we'll ask them!" the Hokage ordered.

"As you wish," the woman answered bowing and leaving the office.

"I'll go there checking," a man with a mask and grey hair said.

"Pay attention Kakashi, we don't know what was to create that phenomenon, a jutsu like that it's not something to underestimate," Hiruzen said gravely

"Do you think it may be Kyuubi attacking again?" Kakashi asked.

"After Minato's failure in sealing the beast the Fox simply disappeared, it may be that it's trying again but by now we would have had news about it going on a rampage while coming here just like last time," the old man answered sighing.

"That poor baby..." Kakashi muttered sighing himself "Sensei was ready to sacrifice his son when...whatever happened stopped him," he then said.

"Someone managed to attack him during the sealing, freeing the Kyuubi and killing him, Kushina and the baby boy Naruto," Hiruzen said nodding as his blood boiled in rage.

He WILL find whoever killed his student and his family, no matter how long Hiruzen will need to search, the bastard will pay with their life, he promised himself that much!

Few instants later the cat masked ANBU entered the office, dragging her feet she neared the old man with her uniform showing cutting and burning marks and her long hair blackened at the end with the smell of smoke closely following her.

"We have a swordsman who wish to join us, Hokage-sama..." she said tiredly.

"Did you see that pillar of fire? You look like someone that was practically in front of that!" Kakashi asked curious.

"I was fighting with the one that DID CAST it actually..." _Cat_ answered with a tired nod.

"You tested him?" Hiruzen asked.

"It was _Frog_ 's idea...the three of them are in the hospital now, they weren't as fast as me at dodging the attack,"

"He wants to join us? Why?" Hayate asked.

"Konoha was apparently closer...that's all he said when we asked," the woman answered making the others sweat-drop.

"Is he good?" Hiruzen asked, _Cat_ simply pointed at herself while clearly rising an eye-brow behind her cracked mask.

"Right...where is he now?" the old man countered with a nervous cough to hide his embarrassment at the silly question.

"He is waiting outside,"

"Let him in," Hiruzen asked to his secretary.

Without saying a word the red-dressed warrior entered the office, calmly walking until in front of the desk.

"Greetings, you must be the one responsible of the _flashy attack_ we saw earlier, am I right?" The Hokage asked.

"Yes, please call me Auron, Hokage-sama." Auron answered.

"And you wish to join us? Just like that?" Kakashi asked.

A simple nod was the answer this time.

"Shees...Itachi was a loud-mouth in comparison," one of the hidden ANBU in the office muttered.

"Sorry if I ask, but what kind of jutsu did you use to create that tornado?" Hayate asked.

"It was not a jutsu, I used an **Overdrive Technique,** " Auron answered.

"He told me that too...he started spinning on himself forming a whirlwind, he then had somehow _launched_ it at me and while moving it turned into a full tornado, then he just took a bottle of liquor from his side and launched it in the middle of the wind...the whole thing simply caught fire immediately after!" _Cat_ explained with a disbelieving tone.

"The alcohol took fire once tossed in a tornado? What kind of stuff do you drink!?" Kakashi asked in awe.

"It was Ronso Rum." Auron answered.

REALLY EXPENSIVE Ronso Rum actually, strong enough to eat through steel, but he liked it for the strong after-taste it could leave in his mouth even if he was an un-send, he often wondered what would happen if a 'normal' human drank it though.

"Never heard of it," Hiruzen commented.

"Can I join the village?" he asked.

"We will still need to put you on a probation period and have our TI department interrogate you, after that we will see what will happen," Hiruzen answered.

"So be it. Thank you for your time, Hokage-sama." the warrior said with a bow, silently following few ANBU out of the Tower.

"Do you think it is a good idea, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked.

"We will soon discover it, Kakashi. For some reason I feel that I can trust him, should I be wrong, Ibiki will know what to do to be sure he won't be a menace to Konoha," the old man answered.

"As you wish, Hokage-sama," the other answered as he and the various shinobi in the office calmly left the room.

"We will need to look deep into those eyes of yours don't we? Auron-san?" Hiruzen muttered with closed eyes while taking a long drag from his pipe.

Maybe it was time to find another successor for the Hokage position, he was getting too old to deal with everything, if only he could talk either Jiraiya or Tsunade into accepting...

Say what you want about those two, but they were not eager to be 'exiled' into that office to deal with politics the whole day, Hiruzen himself could not understand how the Second Hokage managed to talk him into accepting, but after just three months as Sandaime Hokage he finally got the meaning of the vindictive smile Tobirama briefly flashed when the, at the time, young Sarutobi accepted.

Being Hokage was probably the most boring job in all Konoha! Especially during times of Peace.

 **Several months later –**

Time had passed slowly after the arrival of the mysterious Auron, his tornado technique had already faded from memory as he was not seen a lot in the Village if not when he was leaving for a mission or just buying something to eat (and people would often wonder how someone could live with a diet that ' _bare',_ not that they could understand the teachings of a monk of Spira).

ANBU and various others were also testing his abilities almost daily, both in techniques and his new "loyalty" to Konoha, since he was not forthcoming in answers or could the various spy locate this ' _Spira'_ island he talked about, no matter how poor was the general knowledge about the rest of the planet and everything else outside the Elemental Countries.

It had took six months to Hiruzen to FINALLY register Auron as an effective warrior of Konoha, the man refusing being labeled as _Shinobi_ even after the few lessons some Jonin gave him to at least learn tree-walking, water-walking and other basic chakra control exercises to re-learn how to harness the chakra he regained once returned into being alive, and accept sending him to missions outside Konoha.

After that, it took Konoha other two months to relax around the former Guardian enough to have its people act civil with him instead of coldly; this in turn had Auron subtly take deep calming breaths every time a woman accosted him with the intent of flirting, greatly annoying the warrior at seeing how several of them were now ogling him like a piece of prized meat.

It was in a short fit of desperation born from lack of long-term missions outside Konoha that forced the former Guardian to ask Hiruzen if there was nothing he could do to keep himself occupied...he had immediately come to regret that ' _slipping'_ as soon as the old Hokage got a strange glint in his eyes before answering.

He just knew that Jecht was watching and LAUGHING at his misfortune now, Auron was certain of it!

 **Konoha - Academy – Team Assignation day -**

The class teacher, a man with a long scar on his nose called Iruka, was slowly moving through the list of students in that class, separating the various kids in groups of three that will hopefully form a new Team of shinobi and serve Konoha...and silently hoping without dying young, that too would be great.

"...Team 8 will be: Hinata Hyuuga, Shino Aburame and Kiba Inuzuka. Your sensei will be Kurenai Yuhi," Iruka said, as he was about to read the next set of names an ANBU entered the room accompanying a red-eyed woman that was scowling in annoyance.

"What's happening?" the Academy instructor asked surprised.

"Apparently I will have an _help_ with the Team since the Shinobi Council still consider me 'too young' in terms of being a Team Instructor," Kurenai answered bitterly.

"Oh! Who will be the helper?" Iruka asked curious, it was not unheard of to accost another shinobi to a Team Sensei in case the Jonin was deemed not experienced enough, but it was still a rare occurrence.

"I don't know everything, I just know that Ibiki doesn't want him around anymore and Anko...well, she is basically harassing him like an horny schoolgirl since the day he arrived," the woman answered.

"Ibiki-san is just finding my lack of response to his mental tortures during our weekly meetings annoying...and ' _Creepy',_ to use his own words," Auron said entering the classroom.

"Listen well! I don't need help in...teaching..." Kurenai said before falling silent under the man's unmoving glaze that literally petrified her.

"I am not here to take your place, the Hyuuga Clan was simply finding you too inexperienced to protect their heiress by yourself; I am deemed a good help in virtue of my being a swordsman. Since you asked to have a 'Full-tracking Team', I will also be the _muscle_ _s_ of the group until those three will be ready to defend themselves," Auron answered calmly.

"Is he a family member of yours, Shino? He kinda looks like you..." Kiba asked with a whisper.

"Just because he is in control of his emotions and wears sunglasses it doesn't mean that he is an Aburame," Shino answered with a plain tone with a slight hint of annoyance.

"He s-seems a-a-a strong m-man," Hinata said while watching the man in apprehension.

"You are the Hyuuga girl that Kumo tried to kidnap?" Auron asked already knowing the answer.

"H-Hai!" the girl answered trembling.

"That stutter, we'll need to cure that and teach you how to fight, this is my first mission as a teacher of Konoha...I won't fail," Auron answered.

"Don't be harsh with her!" Kurenai said glaring at him.

"Out, follow me." the Guardian said while moving out of the classroom and ignoring the woman.

"And here I thought my brother had a face set on stone, in the end he was just an amateur," Sasuke said surprised.

Several kilometers away Itachi Uchiha somehow gained a tick-mark on his forehead before incinerating some hunter-nins in a burst of anger, all for reasons he could not explain.

 **Training Ground 8 – few minutes later -**

"Please present yourself, I am Auron." the man said simply.

"That's all?" Kurenai asked scoffing.

"Swordsman, former monk of Bevelle, former Guardian of Lord Braska during his Pilgrimage and then Guardian of Yuna during hers; now warrior of Konoha and helper of your sensei," he added taking off Masamune and sticking it in the ground near him.

"Never heard of any of that," Kiba commented.

"He is not lying. Ibiki reported the same answers, but wherever that places is, it's not part of the Elemental Countries," Kurenai said sighing.

"Well, I am Kurenai Yuhi. I am a Genjutsu Specialist and this is my first Gennin Team, I like creating new illusions and hope to become a great Jounin, what about you?" the woman said.

"I am Shino Aburame, I like insects and hope to be a good Clan Head," Shino answered.

"Are you sure you two are not related?" Kiba asked.

"Just introduce yourself, Kiba..." Shino said with a tone bordering the growling.

"Kiba Inuzuka and Akamaru here! I love dogs, I hate cats and will become the greatest Alpha of the whole Country!" Kiba said with a wide grin with the little dog barking happily near him.

"I-I-I am..." Hinata started.

"I am not here to punish you, I am your sensei. Trust me, no-one will hurt you as long as I will be around, " Auron said kneeling in front of her and looking at her from the top of his sunglasses.

"I won't hurt nor belittle you either," he then said.

"H-Hai!" the girl said while taking in an huge breath and steeling herself.

"I am Hinata Hyuuga, I like to study medicine and I hope to unify the Branch and Main family of my Clan and remove the Cage Bird Seal forever," she said before deflating and looking down with her face blushing furiously.

"Good job!" Kurenai said happily while Auron just nodded.

"Your test will be finding Kurenai-san while she will try several illusions on you, break them and find her, you have an hour." the man said before sitting down and uncorking the sake jug at his side to take a sip.

"And you, sensei?" Shino asked.

"Taijutsu, I'll test you in that after Kurenai's test," Auron answered.

"As you wish," the Aburame boy said nodding.

"They do look alike," Kurenai commented with a low voice.

 **Later that night - "Shameless Drunkard" bar -**

The picturesque bar was a rather small local hidden in an alleyway where Jounin and sometimes even ANBU-rank shinobi went to drink without the chaos of the more busy streets, it was also where the various Jounin senseis went to talk about their Teams' progresses since the birth of the village itself.

"NAI-CHAN! HERE, HERE!" Anko called out from a table where she was sitting with Hana Inuzuka and a purple haired woman called Yugao, the three women already with several empty glasses in front of them.

"Anko, Hana, Yugao..." the tired woman said sitting with them with a long sigh escaping her.

"How was my brother? He is in your Team, right?" Hana asked curious.

"He is a brash hot-head, but I think he has good premises," Kurenai answered.

"Why that long face? You don't like your Team?" Yugao asked.

"I do like them...I don't like my ' _helper_ ' though," she answered quoting _helper_ with a sneer.

"Uh? You have an helper? Who is that poor bastard?" Anko asked amused.

"You know him...is that strange man, Auron." Kurenai answered sighing again.

"KYYAH! He is with you? What did he do? Did he talk or asked about me? Is he well?" Anko asked excitedly.

"Him? Talking? I would have more luck with a wall, after the Team introduction he was just silent, then he tested them in taijutsu...tortured them with taijutsu would have been a better term, I had to pry them off of his hands or he would have killed them," the woman answered.

"Uuuuh!" the Snake Mistress just shuddered in delight with her eyes fluttering closed.

Hana and Yugao simply moved a little away from the evidently aroused woman.

"I-I-I am sorry! I-I have nothing stronger than that!" the scared barman stuttered with a shriek, attracting the women's attention along the others present that were close to the counter.

" _Sigh!_ What's in that barrel?" a familiar voice asked with a defeated sigh.

"T-That? It's...well, it's an experimental thing I am making...tastes like sake but is as strong as that Rum thing from oversea..." the barman answered.

"Can I try?" the swordsman asked.

"O-Okay, but only a little...it had poisoned the last three that tried it, it's still too strong to..." the man replied before his eyes grew hugely wide and the bar silent.

While the scared man had been talking, Auron had took the small barrel and opened the small cap on the top to take a whiff, once shrugged a little he had just tilted the whole thing and started chugging down with such an ease and composed air that it looked like he had been drinking from a mere glass.

"That...that was a three liters barrel." the barman muttered in awe.

"A little soft, but I appreciated the taste, how much do I need to pay you?" Auron asked, surprisingly not even tipsy from all that alcohol.

"Are you okay? How come you are not dead?" the other whispered.

"Ronso Rum is a little stronger than this, being a strong drinker was a fundamental thing when traveling with Jecht, it made the whole thing bearable." Auron answered.

"Listen, pay me the equivalent of three drinks and then please stick to water for the rest of the night, I-I don't want you on my conscience," the barman said.

"Thank you, please let me know if you make more of that," the swordsman said with a tiny nod before paying and sitting on an isolated table in the back of the local.

"Soo...you finally decided to come here? Need some company while drinking, I guess..." Anko said while calmly sitting near him and invading nonchalantly his personal space.

"There is no need for that," Auron tried saying.

"No-sense! Booze tastes better when in company!" the woman replied while rising her glass.

"CHEERS!" she said with a grin.

"... _Sigh!_ " the former Guardian sighed while returning the gesture making the girl smile in triumph.

He was seeing too much of Rikku in that smile for him to feel comfortable, and yet the woman was adamant in having him stay and sit with her, even going as far as inviting her own friends at his table; he was starting to think that maybe going there had not been such a good idea after all.

 **YAY! First chapter done and OH SO MANY yet to write instead! I hope you enjoyed! ^ ^**

 **By the way I decided to use Kurama the Biju as a Summon (Final Fantasy-Style), I hope you won't mind, okay?**

 **Next Chapter: Missions! Flash-backs! Things! Excitement! And both Kurenai and Anko giving head-aches to Auron! All this and more, keep reading me!**

 **See you around the Net.**

 **Tr230**


	2. Chapter 2

**This Chapter is Filler, next will cover Chuunin Exam, Invasion and FINALLY Kurama will join as Auron's _Aeon,_ meaning a Summon that joins the battle and fight alongside him/for him like in Final Fantasy X.**

 **I'll try to stay in character, but the "Silent Hero" Type is kind of hard for me, so** ** _PLEASE_** **excuse me if sometimes I will derail into OOC territory. I am not doing it on purpose** ** _this time._**

" **You bastard"** \- demon talking / jutsu

"Let's finish this" - dialogue

" _Can it get any worse?_ " - during flashback/ Thoughts

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything else I will use nor I make a profit out of this, I am writing just for the pleasure of doing it.**

 **(Naruto/Final Fantasy X crossover) Pairing Naruto/Anko (Because I think she is the one " _Closer"_ to being Like _Rikku_ was in the game).**

 **Chapter 2: Standing on the other side of a Team.**

 **Konoha – Memorial Stone -**

Kakashi was silently walking towards the memorial stone listing the names of the fallen heroes of the Village to pay homage to the ones that had given their lives for the well-being of Konoha, four of which the closest thing to a family the man had left after his father's death.

"Obito...Minato-sensei...Rin...and even little Naruto..." the masked man muttered sighing before stopping abruptly.

He was surprised to see the enigmatic Auron stand in front of the stone with an unreadable expression on his face and unblinking eyes before taking the jug strapped to his side to take a big gulp before filling a small dish and handing it over to the stone.

"An offering for the fallen, Minato. One for you, your Team, your Son and wife and your fellow shinobi. Cheers." the swordsman muttered before versing the dish' content on the top of the stone with closed eyes.

"You talk as if you knew him." Kakashi said as he walked to stand close to the man.

"..."

"He was a great man, meanwhile I had been so foolish to cause the death of my two Teammates, one sacrificing himself to save me and the other...I prefer not to dwell in that particular memory too much."

"...There is no need to tell me, I won't ask." Auron answered nonplussed.

"How is Spira? Some of us are curious about your homeland, what made you abandon it?"

The swordsman didn't actually answer, leaving the silence prolong for several seconds before adjusting his sunglasses and offering the bottle to the masked shinobi near him.

"Thanks." he answered taking a swing before returning the bottle.

"Spira was a great land, corrupted to the bone on its cleric side and filled with innocent fools on the other. I had my believes shattered and saw my friends die and for a while I was dead myself. I am here in the Elemental Countries because I have to. And to start a new life." the former Guardian finally answered.

"I see." Kakashi said uncertain.

"Then why you ' _have to'_ stay here?" he then asked.

"I was asked to help Konoha, Kakashi. I am going to help you as I helped Braska and Yuna before coming here and put my life on the line for Peace, this will be my new and last Pilgrimage." the other answered walking away.

"Who asked you?" Kakashi asked with narrowed eyes.

"Your Team is waiting, wasting time drowning yourself in memories won't make them stronger." the swordsman answered without turning back.

"Answer me!"

"Would it change anything?" the man said looking intently at the Memorial Stone making the masked shinobi too turn to look at it.

"I don't underst..." Kakashi said before turning away from the Stone to see that Auron had already disappeared.

"Please tell me you people sent him." the man whispered to the names on the Memorial before he too walked away.

"The guy is just strange, Kakashi, that's all. Inoichi and Ibiki questioned him and then told me, the information were not pretty." Hiruzen said as he walked out from behind a near tree.

"Hokage-sama!" the man answered shocked.

"The actual content of his interview is known only to me, Ibiki and Inoichi, what we saw we deemed not good enough to be shared." the old man said sighing.

"That bad?"

"Spira was a cursed land, there is no other way to put it. It has left scars even in an heart as strong as his, whatever it's true that the dead gave him a mission about protecting Konoha or it's just the projection of his mind's sorrow about watching his friends die during his first Pilgrimage we can't tell. We can only say that he is loyal to us, but everything before his reaching the Elemental Nations is just a jumble of fractured memories and dreams; Inoichi himself could not properly read his mind." the Hokage answered sadly.

"Are you sure, Hokage-sama?"

"That usually happens when a strong trauma strikes too deep, but from the fragments we could gather he had a group of close friends while he accompanied that Yuna woman in her mission, but now he seems to be the only one left alive." the old man replied.

"I will be going then, Hokage-sama." the masked man replied with a bow.

"Keep what I said to yourself and do not tell a soul, that man has every right to forget what happened and start anew." the Hokage said while walking towards the Memorial Stone himself.

"I have intention to gossip about his past, sir."

"Good." the old man answered pleased.

" _Even then, what would people think if me and Inoichi reveal to them that he comes from a land riddled with monsters? I just thank God we never had that Sin thing pass by here..._ " Hiruzen thought grimacing, and just like him he knew Inoichi too was regretting looking inside Auron's head.

Even if it was all a jumble of fragmented memories, it was more than enough material to give horror movies a run for their money after all.

 **Meanwhile – With Auron – Training Ground -**

"You are late!" Kurenai hissed as soon as the swordsman reached her and their Team.

"I was paying respect to the dead and got intercepted by Kakashi." he answered.

"What will we do today, sensei?" Kiba asked eager.

"Starting today we will take some simple missions and alternate them with our training, like that you will gather experience ' _on the field'_ while training both individually and as a Team." Kurenai answered.

"As you wish," Shino replied nodding.

"I can do this." Hinata added muttering.

Later that day both senseis stood silently to the side as the three kids dutifully followed the trails left behind by the run-away cat they were tasked to recover.

"You hate me." Auron said simply as soon as the three Genin were out of hearing distance.

"...No." Kurenai answered after a long pause.

"Lying doesn't help, is because I am your helper?"

"Yes." the woman said bitterly.

"I see..." the man muttered walking away.

"Where are you going?" the woman asked.

"I am not needed here, so I'll go fix something else."

"Fixing what, exactly?"

"You don't want me and your attitude will bring troubles once in serious missions, I'll see if I can talk the Hokage into giving you an Helper you will be able to work with...or even to give you the benefit of the doubt and leave you alone as their Sensei." Auron answered calmly.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" Kurenai roared in blind fury while forcing him to turn around by grabbing the collar of his clothes.

"..."

"ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!"

In answer the swordsman simply grabbed her wrist and gently applied enough pressure to have her release him, ignoring her gasp he turned around to walk away.

"This my chance..." the woman muttered clenching her hands into tight fists.

"Hn?"

"I finally have a Team, I can show everyone that I can lead them to success, that I have what it takes to make them great, that a Genjutsu specialist is as good as anybody else and can be important like the others! I DON'T NEED HELPERS!" she added.

"...Come with me." Auron said walking past her.

"T-To where?" she asked taken aback.

"This is Auron." the man said to the radio around his neck.

" _Yes, Sensei?"_ Shino's voice resounded as a reply.

"I am helping Kurenai to deal with a personal issue; complete the mission and wait for us at the Mission Center, send me a _beep_ once you have the cat." the man answered.

" _Is Shino-kun taking charge?_ " Hinata asked curious.

"Only if you trust him enough to do it."

" _It's worth a try._ " Kiba said unsure.

"Good. We'll be hopefully done in a short time, do not make me regret this." the swordsman said nodding.

" _Yes, Sensei!_ " the three Genin answered as one.

"Good. Now come, we are resolving your issues _now._ "

"I-Issues? What issu- _WHOA!_ " Kurenai barely had the time to say before he grabbed her elbow to drag her.

"You have issues, and those are weighting on your shoulders; you won't become what you wish if you can't defeat those. We didn't defeat Sin, Yunaleska and Seymour by doubting ourselves."

"I don't underst...W-w-where are you taking me?!" Kurenai asked before blanching at recognizing where the man was dragging her.

"Our first stop." he answered knocking on the door of a half-abandoned house.

"Who's there?" a meek voice asked making Kurenai pale even more.

"It's me, Yakumo."

"Auron-san!" the female voice said ecstatic as a girl with long brown hair and pale complexion literally tore the door open, her smile though dropped instantly as soon as she saw the Genjutsu Mistress accompanying him.

"It's time." Auron said simply, not even struggling to stop the frantic Kurenai from leaving.

"...Do we have to?" the girl asked glaring at the woman.

"It will be good for both."

"Just...Just stay close to me, okay?" Yakumo pleaded.

"I am not going anywhere."

"Why you took me here?" Kurenai whispered.

"I happened to stop some remaining members of her clan from killing her to ' _fix'_ the shame of her killing her parents and several others. She just latched onto me ever since." the swordsman answered calmly.

"He promised to make me into a proper kunoichi and is training me as such...at least _he_ believes in me." Yakumo added bitterly.

"Your body..."

"It's weak, not broken." the girl replied guiding the group in a small studio littered with paintings.

"Is that me?" the man asked curious.

"The new painting I am making...it's almost done." the girl answered with a shy blush.

"Why we are here?" the Genjutsu mistress asked tiredly as she was forced to sit on a near chair.

"You two will talk." the swordsman answered sitting down himself.

"You can't pretend us to resolve everything in a morning," Yakumo said sighing while she sat close to him.

"How is your _Inner Side_ holding up?"

"Ido has calmed down a lot ever since we started talking, thank you." she answered smiling.

"It was supposed to be sealed." Kurenai muttered.

"Ido managed to break free during my uncle Unkai's attack, Auron-san talked it into giving him a chance, ever since then he had slowly started training my body, he says I can do it if I try hard enough." Yakumo answered.

"Her Illusions are powerful enough to harm people for real and even kill them, I am just trying to have her build stamina." Auron added.

"I too tried that..."

"But you renounced! You lacked the conviction! You tried to take away my dream!" Yakumo yelled with tears in her eyes.

"And you think she can?" Kurenai asked getting a short nod in answer from the swordsman.

"Now you two talk, and then we'll do this again next week; and the one after that, and the one after that until you resolve this."

"And then?" Yakumo asked curious.

"Then she'll give you pointers in how to study Illusory Arts and you'll become the Kunoichi you wish to become." Auron said as he got up.

"Where are you going?" Kurenai asked.

"Outside in the near room, you two need to do this alone."

"What if Ido tries something?" the girl asked worried.

"I'll be right outside and intervene should the worst happen." the man answered before leaving the two alone.

A tense silence fell in the room as the two women simply looked at each other until Kurenai took in an huge breath to steel her nerves.

"You...you look...okay." she said weakly.

"Thank you." the other replied lamely.

"Do you...did you do something to your hair?" Yakumo muttered looking down.

"Yes, I have cut them a little...do you like?"

"...They are nice."

" _Better than nothing._ " Auron thought exhaling tiredly.

 **Later that day – Training Ground 6 -**

"Asuma." the former Guardian called-out as he neared the smoking man.

"Hey, Auron! You need something?" the man asked back.

"Me no, Kurenai does." he answered moving the struggling woman in front of himself.

"Ehm...I am training my Team at the moment..." the Jonin replied unsure.

"You lack one Genin for that."

"I lack...Where is Ino?!" Asuma yelled in disbelief.

"She ran away as soon as you turned around, sensei." Chouji answered sheepishly.

"Wonderful! Just wonderful! She went _Uchiha-watching!_ AGAIN!" the smoking Jounin growled in dismay.

"Go retrieve her with Kurenai, like that you two will talk. What were you teaching them?" Auron asked.

 _Sigh!_ " **Tree-walking** , sparring practice and some Teamwork-based techniques since they are the next _Ino-Shika-Cho_ trio." Asuma answered tiredly.

"I'll take care of sparring practice and **Tree-walking** while you two are away." the swordsman answered while motioning to the hidden trio of his students to come forward.

"Yo, chubby!" Kiba said smirking.

"I AM NOT CHUBBY! I AM BIG-BONED!" Chouji howled in answer.

"What are we supposed to talk about?" Kurenai asked with an hissing whisper.

"You ramble about him when drunk, figure something." he answered pushing her stuttering form towards the other Jounin.

"Why you are doing this?" she asked with a defeated expression.

"It took death for Jecht to make peace with himself and his son, it took stopping him once he got manipulated by Yevon for Tidus to fix his issues with his father and Wakka had to see for himself the rotten side of the teachings of Yevon before starting to think for himself...You have more issues than what you wish to admit that are holding you back and we are going to fix them once and for all."

"Oh." the woman muttered in surprise, that was actually the longest answer about his past he had ever given to someone ever since he came to Konoha.

"And what about you?" Asuma asked in complete confusion.

"Not now, go catch your missing student." he answered before walking towards the assembled Genin.

"I swear I'll have him talk one of these days." Kurenai said grumbling as she and Asuma walked away.

"Good Luck with that! So...You like me?"

"S-S-S-SHUT UP!"

 **Meanwhile -**

"Shino?" Auron asked.

"Mission accomplished and cat safely delivered; Hokage-sama was curious about you two not being present so we told him about your helping Kurenai-sensei. He was strangely pleased about it." the Aburame boy answered.

"Good."

"Are they cousins? Uncle and nephew?" Chouji asked bewildered.

"Like hell I know! They keep denying it, but I am not fooled." Kiba answered with a conspiratorial whisper.

"If you two have the strength to gossip, then we will be able to train hard today." the swordsman said nonplussed making Hinata whimper loudly.

"That bad?" Shikamaru asked.

"You have no idea." Kiba answered while consoling the whining Akamaru in his jacket.

And so, Kurenai's months passed between training her Genin, talking with Yakumo and Asuma and helping her Team taking small D-Rank missions around Konoha until it was finally time for the first C-Rank Mission outside Konoha for Kiba, Hinata and Shino.

 _WOOF!_

And Akamaru.

 **Konoha – '** _ **Shameless Drunkard'**_ **Pub – Morning -**

"AHA! Auron-san! Here, here! Everything's ready!" the owner of the Pub said happily while patting the counter where dozens of bottles of sake similar to the Guardian's old one could be seen.

"It took a while but I managed to re-create the liquor my grand-father used to always talk about." the man said presenting a glass to the swordsman.

"Hn...It's good." he answered pleased after tasting it.

"Is it? It's very strong, but it has a nice flavour."

"I take all of them,"

"You do?!"

"Having a Team is a greater stress than what I thought," Auron answered shrugging.

"But the results make everything worth it, right?" Kurenai said as she entered the local.

"Do you need something in particular?" he asked while sealing every bottle in a single scroll.

"We are about to take a C-rank Mission, and we need to be all together for that; Sensei...and Helper." she answered smirking.

"The offer is still valid, by now you have showed enough talent to not need an Helper any longer."

"You are helping me personally, not only my Team, you are their Sensei just as much as I am. You are staying." she answered crossing her arms.

"As you wish."

A short walk later to meet the Gennin and inform them and the whole Team found himself standing in front of Iruka's desk for their Mission.

"Anything on the C-rank side, Iruka?" Kurenai asked curious.

"First ' _C'_? It's an important step, congratulations!" Iruka answered with a wide smile.

"Thank you, so?" the woman answered with a proud expression.

"Yep! Here is one! Tanzaku Gai needs someone to help rebuild one of their casinos," Iruka answered.

"What happened?" Auron asked.

"The details are not certain..."

"Tsunade demolished the place to not pay her debts." the swordsman said in an almost-amused tone.

"Off the records, probably. Officially, details not certain." the scarred man muttered blushing.

"We'll take it." the former Guardian said accepting the sealed scroll from the man.

"Here we go, Team! First C-Rank, we will pack for a couple of days and depart tomorrow at dawn." Kurenai instructed.

"Bring some extra, in case of emergencies." Auron added.

"So Auron-san will really remain in your Team, Kurenai? Shall I make it official then?" Hiruzen asked smirking.

"Is is a problem, Hokage-sama?" the woman asked back worried.

"Not really, I was merely curious...But won't Asuma be jealous?" the old man asked laughing.

"W-WHAT?!"

"Everyone in Konoha knows about your crush on him, Kurenai. Exception made for Asuma." Auron supplied simply.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" the subsequent scream of shame shook the Village and surrounding area violently.

 **The next day – Road to Tanzaku Gai -**

"Rebuild a Casino..." Kiba said sighing.

"Were you expecting saving a Princess or defeat a tyranny?" Auron asked curious.

"Nothing so extreme, but I would have liked something with more...' _action'_." the Inuzuka boy answered shrugging.

"Like saving a small Village from a power-hungry businessman?" Shino asked.

"That is a bit more difficult, at least B to A-Rank." Kurenai answered.

In answer the former Guardian actually stopped in his tree-jumping to look in a far-away point over the horizon.

"Wave is in that direction, right?" he asked.

"Yes? Why?"

"Just asking. Move, it's getting dark."

 **Clearing outside Tanzaku Gai – night -**

Later that night the Genin trio and Kurenai were silently preparing their sleeping gear while remain hidden between the branches of one of the trees while Auron scouted the surrounding area from the ground in silence.

"He still gives me the creeps," Kiba muttered.

"But he is helping us in getting stronger, I-I think we can trust him." Hinata answered.

"My bugs are following him." Shino added.

"Why?"

"I case he needs help, they will alert me immediately."

"Ssssh! Someone's approaching!" Kurenai hissed making the trio falling silent as subtle steps drew closer to the tree they were standing on.

"I told you it was a bad idea!" one of the two men hissed as he and his partner stopped right under Kurenai and her Team.

"Sssh! Do you want them to find us?!" the other answered between clenched teeth.

"Okay, okay!...You still got it?" the first asked while looking around in apprehension.

"Yeah, the identification papers are all here...our _Guest_?"

"Will be here soon, the others were finishing securing her when I went ahead to check the base."

"As long we are not discovered...You DID tie her up tighter this time, right? She already escaped once."

"She won't run this time! I was the one tying the ropes! If daddy dearest wants her, he'll have to spend some money."

"You better, that girl knows how to bite when her hands are tied..."

" _Get ready to intervene, we need to save that girl!_ " Kurenai whispered with narrowed eyes.

" _Roger!_ " the Genin trio answered nodding.

"STOP HIM!" a new voice yelled.

"KYAAAAH!" a girl with short hair shrieked as she ran towards the group followed by Auron and the latter followed by other two men.

"What happened?!"

"That bastard intercepted Toshiro taking the girl away and decided to free her." one of the men following Auron answered.

"GRAB HIM!" the Leader of the group yelled making his companion follow him in jumping the Guardian.

"Stand by that tree, I'll take care of them." Auron said calmly as he uncovered his arm and shouldering his blade.

"O-O-Okay!" the scared girl answered hiding behind the same tree Kurenai and her Team were on.

" _Sensei?_ " Hinata asked whispering.

" _I...I say we wait._ " the woman answered.

" _Why?_ " Kiba asked shocked.

" _We still don't know a thing about him and his past, he always takes solo missions and only Hokage-sama and Inoichi-san know who he really is...We other Jounin are always left to wonder and I want to go to the bottom of this._ " Kurenai answered uneasy and shocking her students into silence.

 **With Auron -**

"You alone against the four of us! Aren't we full of ourselves?" the leader of the group said sneering.

Uninterested in thugs taunting Auron reached inside his coat and applied the same summoning spell Guardians all around Spira were asked to learn to create a ' _Pocket'_ storing the supplies necessary to help their Summoner ( _Up to 99 of each object)_ andsummoned a small fiery-red gem in his hand.

" _My inventory is all here, good. The Fayths didn't forget a thing."_ He thought with a satisfied grunt.

"Is that...A ruby?" one of the criminals asked eagerly.

"You want it? Fetch." the Guardian answered tossing him the little thing.

"WAIT!" the leader yelled to late as his companion greedily grabbed the little thing with both hands, barely an instant later and a powerful explosion of fire blew away the man's arms and covered him in flames.

What shocked the others was other two explosions of fire happening in sequence after the first tearing the man apart in a fierce inferno of flames.

"That was a **Fire Gem**. Now is three against one." Auron said as he charged forward sword held at his side unmoving.

"YOU BASTARD!" one of the three screamed as he as well charged forward with his sword drawn.

 _CLANG!_

In a shower of sparks both blades met half-way, though it was apparent the former Guardian was pushing hard as the the other was skidding helplessly on the ground trying to answer in kind, although Auron wasn't showing signs of fatigue in pushing his enemy back as his stoic expression remained unchanged.

"Enough." the former Guardian muttered pushing the man back making him stumble while rising his sword high above his head.

"D-DIE!" the bandit growled as he prepared to give an horizontal slash himself, to his short-lived horror _**Masamune**_ descended with enough power to break his sword in two an cut his whole body vertically in half.

"Two." Auron said simply as he resumed his initial stance.

"H-H-HOY! What's with that weapon!?"

"Get it together! We are still two against one!" the leader yelled furious.

"Screw it! I am out of here!" the other answered dropping his weapon and running away in the opposite direction.

"Then it's just you and me, bastard!"

"Come." Auron answered nodding.

As the man tried to attack him he stopped abruptly and his eyes gradually dimmed out until he stood completely still frozen in place.

"Need an hand?" Kurenai asked as she walked to stand next to Auron.

"Thanks, how's the girl?" he asked while knocking down the trapped man to tie him up in wire.

"Our Team is with her. Quite the gadget you used on that poor man,"

"A **Fire Gem** , coming from my personal reserves as a Guardian."

"Looked like a portable jutsu, how are they made?" Kurenai asked as the duo rejoined the Genin and the escaped girl.

"Not made, extracted by fiends; sometimes their condensed spirit, otherwise part of their body, unless you can focus Mana on them they won't activate though." Auron answered.

"Mana? You mean Chakra?"

"Not the same thing, those two are different...It was the last one I had." the man answered, adding the last part just in case the wrong sort of people started asking for them.

"Good thing you still had one then..." _Sigh!_ "I just wanted a simple Mission, instead it has become a rescue one." Kurenai admitted sighing.

"Could have been worse."

"Saying that with a warmer tone would have helped a bit more, you know?" the Genjutsu Mistress answered defeated as she watched the swordsman adjust his clothes back to sit near the girl.

"Thank you for saving me," the girl said with a grateful smile gaining a simple nod in return.

"Did those people hurt you?" Shino asked.

"No, your father was fast enough to stop them from...From touching anywhere." she answered uneasy.

"He is not my father." the Aburame Heir said almost bitterly.

"Oh!...Is he your Uncle then?" she asked making Hinata giggle and Kiba snort in amusement.

"We are not related by blood." Auron answered.

"And yet I could swear-"

"Where is your father?" Kurenai asked rapidly as the angry growling of both Guardian and Genin were starting to worry her.

"In town, those people wanted to force him to leave the control of his casino to them now that it needs to be rebuilt." she answered.

"What were the chances?" Kiba asked snorting.

"Very scarce." Shino answered adjusting his glasses.

"I was being rhetoric,"

"And I gave you a clear answer instead."

"Please don't argue," Hinata asked gently.

"What?" the girl asked confused.

"If it is as we suspect, we should have been the group of ninja from Konoha your father asked to help guarding his casino while it gets rebuilt." Kurenai answered shaking her head amused.

"Missing-nins?" Auron asked out of the blue.

"N-No...Not that I know of...Why?" the girl asked unnerved.

"Just asking. Just in case it was a curse," the Guardian answered walking away towards the town.

"What's with him?"

"Don't ask me, I have no idea how his mind works." Kurenai answered sighing in defeat.

 **Three days later – Tanzaku Gai – Building zone of the Casino -**

The three Genin and Kurenai were alternating between guarding the area and helping with both cleaning and reconstruction of the damages of the simple-furnished place; the whole damage amounting to just a couple of walls destroyed along smashed tables and ( _Curiously_ ) human-shaped dents in the still standing walls testifying that maybe a certain gambling Sannin DID had an hand in the almost-demolition of the place.

"Kurenai-sensei...Where is Auron-sensei?" Hinata asked again as the Guardian had that day too failed to show-up.

"Yeah! Where is he?" Kiba chorused momentarily stopping taking out debris and pieces of broken poker tables.

"He said he had an old issue to resolve, but it's been three days since he left," Shino added.

"Whatever it was, I hope for him he was something of the ' _Life or Death'_ kind...Or we will have a nice long talk." Kurenai answered hissing furiously.

"Yo!" a lively voice said amused.

"Good morning!" a second one added more politely.

"Good morning, Zabuza-san and strange boy." the Genjutsu Mistress replied automatically.

"I may accept him as helper but this doesn't mean...GUH?!" she then continued saying before she realized and _**SLOWLY**_ turned around to see the infamous Missing-nin plus stranger duo she had just welcomed.

"Is she always that slow?" Zabuza Momochi, former Swordsman of the Mist and all-around feared butcherer, asked amused.

"Only when ranting." Auron answered as he too joined the scene.

"BE CAREFUL, AURON! He is a dangerous killer!" Kurenai yelled as she and the kids took their fighting stance while the workers and bystanders simply scampered away to make room.

"I know." he answered calmly without changing his relaxed posture.

"Then why are you not helping us attack him!?" Kiba asked worried.

"If Auron-sama attacks Zabuza-sama he will break Mission protocol," the boy with very delicate features standing between the two answered amused.

"Mission Protocol?...Auron-sama?" Hinata repeated confused.

"Bwahahaha! I am switching side and joining Konoha! So you can't attack me if I don't attack first!" Zabuza answered laughing.

"WHAT?!"

"Auron-sama said we can join Konoha."

"NO! They can't instead!" Kurenai said scandalized while glaring at her ' _Helper'_ in disbelief.

"Why?" Auron asked confused.

"They are wanted criminals!" she answered growling.

"I was one in the eyes of the followers of Yevon, but you didn't know me when I joined, nor my past." the Guardian said.

"They killed lots of people!"

"I did too, along fiends and everything else that attacked Yuna to kill her, just like every Guardian has done in Spira's history."

"Ehm...AH! He betrayed his Village!" Kurenai tried saying.

"I betrayed my whole land, my religion, my government and for a while my whole race when we discovered the faith of Yevon being built on lies and machinations while we were fighting Sin and Seymour."

"To be fair, I did fail to kill the past Mizukage, but I had a pretty damn good reason for that as at the time I was helping the current Mizukage while she tried to kill the psycho that was running our Village into a bloodbath for his campaign against Bloodline Limits." Zabuza added with a grunt.

"And as for me, I am Haku, and I am just Zabuza-sama's disciple...So in theory my background is slightly cleaner than those two." Haku added rising his hand.

"H-He...He is a mass-murderer!" Kurenai tried saying as she started coming short in reasons to refuse the idea.

"Every shinobi is, he just takes too much enjoyment in doing his job." Auron answered nonplussed.

"DAMMIT!" the woman roared in anger.

"He might betray Konoha too if he joins us." Shino said.

"AH-HA! Answer to that!" Kurenai yelled with a victorious smile while pointing at the group.

"Is your Hokage a psychopathic maniac that thinks everyone with a Bloodline Limit should be dragged by the hair in the street and guttered in front of everybody?" Zabuza asked crossing his arms.

"Well...No."

"Does your Hokage condone the torture AND rape of Bloodline Users (both genders)? On kids as well?"

"Oh, God, NO!"

"Has your Hokage ever skipped in paying Taxes? Or his Ninjas' salaries?"

"Not that I ever heard of it..." the Jonin of Konoha admitted unsure.

"Do you have dental plan? A good one, not a bullshit one like Iwa." Haku asked.

"We have the best one!" Kiba answered proudly while showing his and Akamaru's teeth with Hinata and Shino doing the same.

"Door-to-door Religious Preachers that rings your bell at six in the morning on Saturday and Sunday?" Zabuza asked hopeful.

"If it happens and they don't get the meaning of the first ' _I am not interested'_ then you are legally permitted to inflict every atrocities you can think of on them without repercussions as long as you don't kill them." Shino answered.

"Then no, we WON'T rebel, leave or betray Konoha in any way, shape or form if we get to join you." Zabuza answered smirking.

"And what about Mist?" Kurenai asked with narrowed eyes.

"Me and Mei used to be _Fuck Buddies_...Working together would feel...Weird." he answered uneasy.

"Spare me the details." Auron asked.

"See? That's another reason I accepted; we make a cool duo!" the man added amused.

"Zabuza..." the Guardian grumbled in annoyance.

"He did it again! See? He would be the Stoic, silent bad-ass and I the rambunctious, noisy and prone to collateral damages bad-ass, like Cable and Deadpool!" the almost-former Missing-Nin said smirking.

"Nah! I prefer Batman." Kiba answered.

"Spiderman." Shino added.

"Super-girl." Hinata added shyly.

"Wonder woman." Kurenai admitted blushing.

"...Ant-man..." Haku admitted looking down.

"NNNNNEEEEEERD!" the others replied in chorus.

"I still think it will work wonderfully." Zabuza said huffing in annoyance.

"Ugh!" Auron simply left out a small, imperceptible groan as he massaged his temples.

Fairplane, how he missed it and at the same time regretted intercepting Zabuza and Haku to save both!

 **Some time later – Konoha – Hokage Tower -**

"What do you mean they are my responsibility, Hokage-sama?" Auron asked with a tone that was precariously near an actually angry one.

"Inoichi gave them a clean pass in Psychological Health and Ibiki too seems pretty convinced they won't betray us, but Zabuza seemed adamant in sticking with you for this ' _Kick-ass Duo'_ plan he is determined in not breaking-up, and wherever Zabuza go Haku follows so..." Hiruzen, flashing a very smug look, answered shrugging.

"You seem to find my misery entertaining, Hokage-sama."

"Why? Would you prefer battling Sin, Dark Eons and fiends again instead?"

"Yes." the other said immediately.

"You could at least _pretend_ to be thinking about it..." the old man answered amazed.

"..."

"Too much Jecht in Zabuza?" the Hokage asked sighing.

"...Probably." the other admitted after a long pause.

"Auron-san, me and Inoichi looked deeply in your life on Spira and saw most of what happened in both your Pilgrimages and never managed to go before that as your mind kept those memories close to your soul, but whatever pain both sets of memories bring, they should bring you good too; I am not asking you to forget the tragedies you lived through as those as well helped you becoming who you are. But I ask you to also recognize that there were good moments as well, good memories to balance the bad ones."

"I don't think I have those," Auron admitted sounding almost ashamed.

"Yes you have, I would bet on it my life if I could. No-one will know what we discovered so try to see your staying here as a third chance at a good life, we have not a giant monster looming above us nor a world-ending crisis approaching. Your life here can and WILL be normal, you just have to move on and accept this new life and its new chances." Hiruzen asked with a gentle smile.

"...I'll see what I can do. Good day, Hokage-sama." Auron answered with a nod before leaving the room.

"Remember that there is a difference between ' _Cold, Stoic and Cool'_ and ' _Emo'_ , you are in the first group, that's why people love you, never forget or fall in the second." the old man added before the door could close completely making the man on the other side stop for a moment before finally closing it.

"...With who I was talking with, I wonder...Naruto...or Auron? For someone like me that never believed in reincarnation, this is a big slap to the face...Now I see why Inoichi preferred to erase that bit of info from his head and do not add it to the records...It gives a painful itch to my chest just to look at his face and recall how he died before going to Spira and return here...I curse my clutching to the idea of knowing him being somehow alive that made me to this..." Hiruzen muttered grimacing.

 _Sigh!_ "Too late to cry on the spilled milk, I decided to keep this a secret and do not tell a soul and I will...In the end it's just another secret to take to the grave, Hiruzen...Just another secret to add to the pile, but this at least I know _**NO-ONE**_ will ever know about...I hope." he then said sighing.

For some reason the notion of him being the only one knowing the truth was not making him feel better, certain times ignorance was truly a bliss.

 **Omake – Who is the best duo?**

It had started as a simple ' _Cleaning Mission',_ meaning that Auron had accepted to visit a nearby small town a violently remember to a small criminal organization that had recently formed there that the Fire Daymio didn't like power-hungry idiots dirtying his " _Lawn"_ and that Konoha was more than eager to please their Warlord through gratuitous murdering of nameless criminals.

It also helped the former Guardian earn some extra money other than being an Helper/Jonin Sensei, a pity that Zabuza and Haku usually followed him because part of his personal _Team_ and even worse yet, of all people Auron had to stumble on Sasuke's brother Itachi and his Akatsuki Partner Kisame on the way back once completed said mission.

"Long time no see, Zabuza..." Kisame said with narrowed eyes finally breaking the tense silence that had fell in the small street as soon as the two group met.

"It has been a while...So you have a silent Partner too..." Zabuza answered, he too regaling the other with a cold stare.

"Yes." the blue-skinned swordsman answered nodding.

"Zabuza-sama? What is Auron-sama doing?" Haku asked confused.

"..."

"..."

"They are trying to out-' _Cool silent stare-down'_ each other." the young man's mentor replied tersely.

"EH! Itachi-kun has a traumatic past where his whole family died and good looks, beat that!" Kisame said smugly.

"Auron too has a traumatic past where he saw his best friend and the people representing his only family die and has good looks of a _mature-but-not-old_ man...But he also has the gruff look of an hardened warrior whose heart is just waiting for the right girl to finally breach the loneliness he had cast on himself to keep his sorrow away." Zabuza answered.

"Itachi has that as well, but he also shoulders the burden of a martyr that he has drawn on himself along the hate of a whole country to protect the name of his family so that at his death the Uchiha name will be cleansed of its past mistakes!" the Akatsuki member growled.

"Auron has defeated death to remain as a spirit in the Living World so to pay his debt towards his dead friends to protect their children, guide them through a path of self-discovery and self-sacrifice, save the world and finally saving his best friend/rival/annoyance from a fate WORSE than death after having avenged _**HIS OWN**_ Death!" Zabuza replied stomping down with his feet petulantly.

"Oh, God...I am straight, but I am starting to feel the heat..." Haku muttered fanning himself and blushing while watching the two silent warriors.

"Well, I am a better Loud Partner all the same!" Kisame whined crossing his arms.

"NO! _**I**_ AM!" the other yelled back.

"I killed a bunch of people as a collateral damage while chasing our Target!"

" I killed a bunch of people as a collateral damage while chasing our Target...While telling bad jokes totally bad in taste for the situation we were in!" Zabuza answered making the other stumble back as if slapped.

"Argh!"

 **Meanwhile – Itachi VS Auron -**

"...Your expressionless face is good, but sadly not enough." Itachi said.

"You talk too much, kid." Auron answered making the Uchiha's eyes widen.

"You dare..."

"..." all the answer the Akatsuki member got was a slightly lifting of an eyebrow still conveying enough condescension to make both Missing-nin flinch and recoil.

"Okay, your partner IS good." Kisame admitted impressed.

"Kisame, be quiet." Itachi hissed angrily.

"Zabuza, Haku." Auron said turning around and walking away with the wind blowing just the right way to make his jacket slightly billow in an awesomely-dramatic way.

"...I think I had a cool-gasm." Haku admitted looking down.

"See you around, Kisame-kun! Bwahahahahaha!" Zabuza said as he walked alongside his partner with a superior look on his face.

"That's one badass silent motherfucker..." Kisame admitted sighing.

"We are going back to the base...And you'll sleep on the couch tonight." Itachi answered as he rapidly turned to walk in the opposite direction.

"COME ON! I was just saying!" the sharkman said whining.

"..."

"Itachi! It means nothing! I didn't mean to put you two in comparison. YOU are my silent Partner, not him!"

"Shut up." the other answered disappearing in a tick cloud of black feathers as his body seemingly broke-down into a flock of crows.

"COME ON, BUDDY! There is no need to be jealous!" Kisame tried saying.

"I AM NOT JEALOUS!" the Uchiha disembodied voice echoed back.

"Sure you are not..." the swordsman muttered chuckling.

"I bet your brother too would prefer _HIM_ being the one he has to kill for his Revenge."

"AAAAARGH!"

"Yep! He is jealous." the blue-skinned man said amused as he started walking back to the Akatsuki HQ whistling merrily all the way while listening Itachi's angry mumbling coming from ahead on the road.

 **End of the Omake.**

 **I don't know why I am continuing this story, but for now I'll keep going.**

 **By the way, my Internet is working at random so I don't know when I will have a " _Window"_ of time in which I can upload my updates, until the Company I pay with my money decides to pull their head out of their ass and fix the problem I gently ask you to have patience.**

 **In the meantime I'll keep writing so to have the chapters done for when FINALLY my computer will be able to go online.**

 **Thank you for your patience, it means a lot for me. ^ ^**

 **Tr230. ( _This time not at fault if the updates take too long_ ). **


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter covers the first and second part of the Exams, like this I will be able to use a whole chapter for the Finals and Kurama's summoning as EOn against Gaara, I hope you don't mind.**

 **I'll try to stay in character, but the "Silent Hero" Type is kind of hard for me, so** ** _PLEASE_** **excuse me if sometimes I will derail into OOC territory. I am not doing it on purpose** ** _this time._**

" **You bastard"** \- demon talking / jutsu

"Let's finish this" - dialogue

" _Can it get any worse?_ " - during flashback/ Thoughts

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything else I will use nor I make a profit out of this, I am writing just for the pleasure of doing it.**

 **(Naruto/Final Fantasy X crossover) Pairing Auron/Anko (Because I think she is the one " _Closer"_ to being Like _Rikku_ was in the game).**

 **Chapter 3: Invasion.**

 **Konoha – path towards the Training grounds Area -**

"NAAAAAAAAI-CHAAAAAAAAN!" Anko loud cheerful yell pierced the sky making Kurenai stumble in her steps.

 _Sigh!_ "Good morning, Anko." the Genjutsu Specialist answered with a suffered sigh, mentally still wondering _**HOW**_ the two of them had become best friends years ago.

"You are too stiff!" the other woman replied with a childish pout as she wrapped her arms around Kurenai to slump on her back and rest her chin on the woman's shoulder.

"And you too cheerful, it's 7 in the morning!" Kurenai said dejected.

"You say that because having a Team full-time makes you sleep until late, I got up at 5! And I wanted my Nai-chan to accompany me to meet the Hokage so to see if I will have the first turn or if I will cover the second phase of the Exams tomorrow." Anko replied disentangling herself from her friend to walk with her up the isolated path.

"I have to meet him as well, but first help me collect Auron-san as well." Kurenai answered and actually yelping at the _**COLD**_ stare she got in answer from her friend.

"You want to collect him? Is this a secret date?" she asked as dark clouds _**SOMEHOW**_ started amassing above the two women.

"WHAT!? NO! Hokage-sama needs to speak with him!" the woman answered immediately.

"Oh! Okay! Let's go then!" Anko answered returning cheerful in an instant and walking with a half-skip in her steps as she hummed some song the other failed to recognize (even the clouds disappeared just as quickly as they had come).

" _Barely spoke with the guy for more than a couple minutes a day, and she acts like a jealous wife already..._ " Kurenai thought sighing, she knew that under the ' _badass independent woman_ ' shell she wore at all times Anko was as much romantic as any teen girl and even more possessive than one normally should be, but with Auron that was reaching bad levels…

' _ **Yuno Gasai** '_ bad levels.

"So he is part of your Team now? Full-time?" Anko asked curious.

"Yes, officially registered." Kurenai answered shrugging.

"And no-one is against the thing?"

"He keeps to himself and never causes trouble, most think that MAYBE this will make him ' _open-up'_ a bit more, his being silent most of the time still keeps people on edge."

Shinobi were paranoid creatures by default, and with having somebody sport a natural neutral expression worthy of a Hyuuga (or Itachi Uchiha) and walk silently all the time without uttering a word unless REALLY necessary, it was no surprise that the more paranoid of the bunch never felt fully at ease with him; and recently many had started to think Auron himself was enjoying the thing at least a little once seen the tiny smirk that would appear for an instant on his face whenever his sudden appearance made the older Shinobi jump in fright with a short shriek.

"Where is he by the way?" Anko asked.

"Training Ground 3. He, Zabuza-san and Haku-san usually meet there to train together...Well, Auron goes there to train _Alone_ , the other two just join him ten minutes later and the thing always turns into a group session."

"Oooh!"

It was when they were at barely a dozen meters that they saw the three aforementioned men going through their training regimen.

"COME ON! COME ON! PUMP IT! PUMP IT!" Zabuza, sans mask and so showing his extremely sharp teeth, was yelling as an encouragement to his partner.

"Tch!" the Former Guardian answered as he kept swinging forward a thick iron bar with four huge weights on the opposite side, each " _plate"_ clearly weighting more than both men's whole body combined and at least twice as big in girth alone if not more ( _Zoro Style! XD)_.

Both he and Zabuza were also ' _gloriously'_ bare-chested showing off their muscles-ripped bodies and scars, and the disembodied cat-calls the two were skillfully ignoring meant that the ANBU passing-by and the training Genin in the area were also watching and appreciating the gesture.

"...I still don't understand how Auron-sama can lift _THAT_ and swing it around like a sword for his kata. I may understand Tsunade-san doing that, but him doing the same still surprises me." at those words Kurenai and Anko finally noticed Haku sitting next to them under a near tree to rest and actually drawing the scene on a sketch pad the young man kept on his crossed legs.

"Oh! Haku! I didn't see you there!" Kurenai admitted with a small chuckle.

"It's okay, Kurenai-san. I have just finished my training and was just relaxing." he answered smiling a very lady-like smile.

"You surely have a very delicate way to hold yourself...People are still mistaking you for a girl?" the woman asked curious.

"Considering I hang-out with Zabuza-sama and Auron-sama I cannot exactly blame them, I DO look feminine if compared to them." Haku said dejected.

"...Have you considered growing a stubble?" she tried suggesting making the other sulk even more into full depression.

"I can't grow a beard...It just doesn't come out…" Haku answered soon starting to cry in despair making the woman automatically pat his shoulder in sympathy.

"COME ON, AURON! OTHER 10! OTHER 10!" Zabuza in the meantime kept repeating aloud.

"Does he really need encouragement?"

"No. But Zabuza-sama insists it is part of the ' _Bro Code'_." Haku answered still sniffling.

"Wasn't it AGAINST the code?" Anko asked while unblinkingly following the Ex-Guardian every move.

"It depends on WHAT and HOW he says it; encouraging is okay, making _**Homoerotic-sounding**_ encouragements it isn't." Haku answered.

"Men..." Kurenai commented shaking her head as she walked closer to the two sword enthusiasts.

"I think it's enough for today, Hokage-sama needs to speak to us." the woman said interrupting the session in a chorus of disappointed moans echoing all around them.

" _Aaaaaaw!"_

"Show's over! Return to your training and/or job!" Kurenai barked back in answer getting several half-mouthed insults and curses in answer.

"Hn." Auron replied nodding while gently putting down the weighted rod.

"Good Morning, Kurenai." Zabuza answered smirking and ' _Casually'_ flexing his muscles.

"Drop it." the woman replied uninterested making the man deflate in defeat.

"Ignore him. What's this about?" the former Guardian asked.

"It's about the Chuunin Exams tomorrow, I have to present myself there to get the papers for our Team so they will know in which class it will be held...But I got the impression Hokage-sama needed you for something else as well," Kurenai answered.

"So be it. Let's go." Auron answered nodding and rapidly wiping himself with a towel before wearing back his clothes.

"...My shower can wait ten minutes, Kurenai." he then said in answer to her disturbed look.

"S-Sorry." the woman answered sheepishly.

"I wash everyday."

"I was not implying you are dirty or smelly!"

"..." he simply looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"...Okay, maybe just a little..." the woman admitted blushing.

"Hn."

"HEY! AND WHAT ABOUT ALL THIS STUFF?!" Zabuza yelled recovering his clothes and wearing back his face mask.

"It was your idea coming here with all that." he answered as he and Kurenai calmly walked away.

"Fuck." the former swordsman of the Mist cursed to himself watching with sagged shoulders the huge quantity of weights he had brought with himself when he had joined Auron that morning.

"Haku! Be a dear and help..." he tried saying before noticing the last wisps of the young man's _**shunshin**_ fading away.

"Me...Damn it."

Meanwhile behind him Anko had just finished beating a pair of ANBU and several Genin-rank Kunoichi into an unrecognizable mound of bruised bodies moaning in agony for the discarded towel she was now happily clutching to with a victorious expression.

 _SNIIIIIIIIIIIF!_

"Uuuuhm! Smells like troubled past, hope for Redemption and _FUCKING OVERFLOWING MANLINESS_!" Anko muttered with a disturbing moan as she gave a deep sniff to the towel and developing for an instant a faint heart-shaped shadow in her eyes that the more accustomed with Anime could easily recognize as the alarm bell it was.

"...FUCK! I HAVE TO MEET THE HOKAGE AS WELL!" she then screamed once FINALLY remembered her own appointment with Hiruzen.

Once carefully folded the thing to pocket it, the woman rapidly left the training ground leaving Zabuza alone still sealing away weights honestly too big to be usable by normal humans.

" _Make them Big, Zabuza! It will make training harder and more Badass-looking, Zabuza!_ I should have known Kisame was fucking with me that time, these things take hours to seal away!"

 **Few minutes later – Hokage Tower – Hiruzen's Office -**

"HO! Here there are the last ones! Got lost?" Hiruzen asked chuckling as Anko, Kurenai and Auron walked in to join the other Jounin of Konoha.

"No we didn't, Hokage-sama." Kurenai answered sighing.

"Every time the same joke..." Anko muttered getting an elbow to the side by her friend.

"Now that we are all here, let's get down to business." the old Hokage said making everybody present stand to attention.

"We have a lot of guests from the Villages taking part to this Exam, even more than the previous edition we hold in Konoha so I expect you others to actually help the ANBU patrolling the street should troubles arise."

"Of course, Hokage-sama!"

"Wonderful. To the ones that actually have a Team taking part...I don't think I will have to tell you that ' _cheating'_ , ' _black-mailing','Threatening'_ and doing all those other little things usually making our Shinobi hearts feel all warm and fuzzy is actually forbidden to do on the Gennins of Konoha that are not of your own Team, do I?...We want to impress our future and usual clients by showing-off our Genins talent so _**OUR OWN**_ should not be targeted risking making their performance look bad and ruin OUR reputation as a result...Feel free to go crazy on the Gennins of the other Villages though. Those are free game." Hiruzen explained with narrowed eyes.

"OF COURSE, HOKAGE-SAMA!" the others replied immediately.

"Perfect! Keep in mind that we are hosting a great deal of dignitaries and foreign politicians and merchants along our usual clients and possible future ones, so TRY to act in a professional manner...You will all be free to return into being the lovable morons you all usually are only AFTER this thing is over, okay? Both me and you will be forced to be ' _Serious'_ for the whole duration of the Exams, it's a pain in the ass, I know...But let's help each other survive this and we are golden, okay?" the old man asked smirking and gaining several amused chuckles in answer to accompany the nodding heads of his subordinates.

"I am happy to see you got it so...We have been here for five minutes...That's even too much, Meet me in the secret Cafeteria of the Tower, I'll give you a rapid run-down of the rest of the things you'll need to know in front of some coffee and pastries. I'll meet you there in five minutes and remember: if someone asks, this was a very long, very serious meeting filled with Political/Responsible-Adult _Mumbo-Jumbo_ because we are all serious and adult _._ Because apparently we can't have fun while being responsible adults and shinobi, so we have to keep the truth a secret and look like boring _sticks in the mud_." Hiruzen said winking.

"AYE!" was the happy cry of answer.

"Auron-san, Kurenai-san, Anko-chan. Please wait I have something more to ask you." the Hokage then said stopping the three.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?" Kurenai asked as soon as the four remained the only ones in the room.

"I would like you three to do me a favour, would you have anything against be the Proctors of this exams?" the old man asked making the two women gasp.

"I-I-I don't know if I can! I have a Team that is taking part! wouldn't that be seen as favouritism?" Kurenai answered shocked.

"I Can! I can! I heard that the Second Task will be held in the Forest of Death! Can I oversee that? Can I? Can I?" Anko instead answered with a very excited tone.

"Okay, you can be the Proctor of the second part, Anko-chan." Hiruzen answered with a paternal smile.

"YAAAAAY!" she cheered with a childish yell that made the old man chuckle.

"What about Hayate?" Auron asked.

"Aah, yes! The reason why I am asking you three for this... _SOMEBODY_." Hiruzen said nailing the Former Guardian with a terrifying glare that to his hidden annoyance didn't even faze the gruff warrior before continuing.

"Has recently given him something that healed his lungs' illness and ever since then not he or Yugao have been seen around, on the contrary though their neighbors keep whining about the grunting noises, the moans and the screams coming from their shared apartment."

" _Panacea_ , very powerful medicine of Spira." Auron said simply.

"It's been two days already! Shouldn't they stop? They are no longer two horny teens!" Kurenai said scandalized.

"What? Jealous, Nai-chan?" Anko asked smirking.

"ANKO!"

"BY THE WAY!" Hiruzen said rising his voice making the two women fall silent.

"Since Hayate and Yugao show no intention to stop anytime soon, I need a replacement for the man, he was supposed to be the judge of the fighting Tournament during the Final Phase." the Hokage said.

"I...I can't, Hokage-sama. I am sorry..." Kurenai answered with a deep bow.

"I can."

"AURON!"

"Yes, I thought you would accept, people have very little doubts you won't be objective even should your own Team fight. Should I sign you up then?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." the former Guardian answered nodding.

"Very well, here is what you are supposed to do and where, thank you for accepting." the Hokage answered giving two thick folders to both Auron and Anko before dismissing the three.

 **Outside the Office -**

"I can't believe you accepted!" Kurenai said with a frustrated growl.

"There was need of two Proctors, Nai-chan! He did the right thing." Anko answered huffing.

"But...Hinata..."

"I can keep a close eye open on her as a proctor." Auron answered nonplussed while still skimming the content of his folder.

"Oh!" the genjutsu expert muttered surprised.

"Why?" Anko asked.

"Just in case Neji-san tries something against the rules." the former Guardian answered as the trio walked towards the Cafeteria to stop Anko's nagging about it.

"Neji? Why?" Kurenai asked confused.

"...My reasons." he answered.

The fight may have helped the girl coming out of her shell ( _A LITTLE_ ) from what he remembered of his previous life, but he was certain the following beating AND almost lethal assault dashed that small step forward of her self-esteem fiercely; so IF the two cousins will fight again, Auron wanted to see if stopping Neji's tantrum before he could go overboard in his victory against Hinata will mean a slightly-more confident girl...sure if Kurenai would just stop babying her, the Guardian would feel more positive about her winning this time…

 **That night – Auron's dreams -**

The Former Guardian found himself once again in the Fairplane and its giant garden surrounded by the lights of the deceased's spirits, he was certain this was not a ' _Normal'_ dream as he was some-what conscious and he had been having a total different dream before the area shifted into its current setting.

"I am sorry for the interruption, but this will take very little time." a well-known voice said colloquially.

"Fayth of Bahamuth." Auron answered with a little bow of his head.

"We called you here because an old acquaintance of yours has been quite insistent lately to join you," the human-looking spirit said as a titanic shadow covered the both of them and the area around the duo.

"...You?" Auron asked with a raised eyebrow.

" **Ehm...Eeeehm...Hey there!** " Kurama the nine-tailed fox said with a sheepish smile.

"Why?" he asked.

"He misses you." the Fayth answered amused making the dead Biju gasp.

" **I-I-I-Its is nothing like that!** "

"I came to miss you myself."

" **Oh! Well...Maybe then I missed you to-** "

"There was too much silence inside my head, it lacked your snoring."

" **I DO NOT SNORE!** " Kurama shrieked with a red face.

"Why is he here? Just for the sake of old times?" Auron asked.

"He wishes to join you, apparently he wants to help you in your mission before enjoying his after-life." Bahamut answered.

"So I have to be a Jinchuuriki again?"

"Not exactly..." the Fayth answered making a bottle similar to Auron's old one appear in his hands and keeping it high above his head towards Kurama.

To the Former Guardian surprise the Biju turned into a mass of _Pyriflies_ to enter the bottle making it shine in light and obtain the Fox' name written on it in Spiran alphabet.

"He will be something more akin to an Eon, summon him in battle and he will aide you directly, or drink the liquor inside the bottle that Kurama will imbue with his power to heal and strengthen you. Do not worry, nobody will be able to steal the bottle or use it, it's yours and yours only." Bahamut said giving the bottle to the man.

"...It's already filled..." Auron said surprised.

"Consider it a present, original Bevelle Rum, as a thank you from Wakka and Lulu."

"Thank you. So me and Kurama are together again?"

" **Yep! You won't last much if I am not there giving you a boost, brat! Or...well...You old man, you no longer are a kid after all.** " Kurama's answer echoed in the man's head.

"If you are sure this will work, I won't oppose it." Auron answered nodding with a tired sigh.

"We all here have great faith in you and your abilities, all the people you encountered is cheering for you and wishing you to have a good life for once. Take care, Auron." the Fayth answered as the dream faded away making the Former Guardian wake-up.

 **Real World – Auron's apartment -**

"Uh?" the man muttered in surprise seeing the very same bottle rest on his nightstand.

" **Yes, it wasn't a dream!** " Kurama said happily making the bottle shine briefly.

"No light, it attracts attention." Auron answered before returning to sleep.

" **You know? I almost preferred you when you were loud and boisterous..."** the Biju admitted.

"Blame the temple that trained me. Now sleep."

" **Okay! Okay!** "

 **The next day – Chuunin Exam First Round – Shinobi Academy – Jounin Sensei's lobby**

"It's surprising." Asuma said taking a long drag from his cigarette.

"What?" Kakashi asked curious as the whole ensemble of Sensei from the various Villages taking part watched from a giant monitor the Genin sitting at the desks.

"If...You know... _That Night_ never happened...Young Naruto would probably be there taking his Exams." the other answered.

"And we would have Kushina-san here wildly cheering for him to make his mommy proud." the masked jounin added with a sad-sounding chuckle.

"The _Yellow Flash_ had a son? With the _Red Queen_?!" A Jounin from Suna asked with wide eyes.

"Red Queen?" Gai asked confused.

"It's how they called Kushina-san in Suna." Kurenai explained.

"Ooh!"

"They would have had a baby had the Kyuubi not attacked." Asuma said sighing.

"Wouldn't having his mother as Jounin sensei then be too much nepotism?" the same Jounin of Suna asked.

"And who would have stopped her from being the Team Sensei? You?" A Jounin from Grass Village asked mockingly.

"OH, HELL NO! My own sensei fought her once when he was a Genin himself and is still pissing blood today from the knee to the balls she gave him! I would keep my mouth damn close!" the man answered wildly shaking his head in the negative.

"Same here...Do you think he would be more like Kushina or Minato-sensei?" Kakashi asked.

"From what I have seen, he was the chibi version of his daddy, so to be fair, maybe he would have took from his mother in personality." Kurenai answered unsure.

"YOSH! I would have still fought for the right to be his Team Sensei though!" Gai said with a boisterous laugh.

"And Kushina-san would have sent you to the hospital." Asuma answered smirking.

"And what if he was the Dead-last?" Auron asked while watching outside the window, never once looking at the others or at the screen.

A _**TENSE**_ silence followed that question as every Jounin sensei of Konoha turned to look at him.

"What?" Kakashi asked.

"What if he failed? What if he couldn't do even a normal Bunshin? Would you still help him? Or deem him a lost cause?" the Former Guardian asked again, and the ones the knew him a little better could feel his tone turn colder than usual.

"OF COURSE WE WOULD HELP HIM!" Asuma growled scandalized.

"Nobody should be left behind!" Kakashi added equally angry.

"...Talking like that is easy if the subject is dead, the ' _If'_ s and the ' _Maybe'_ s become light as clouds while the actions remain. You cannot be certain you would act like that if that situation really presented itself." the Former Guardian answered as he made his way towards the exit.

"Hey!" Kakashi said coldly as he grabbed the man's arm stopping him.

"Hn?"

"Be careful about how you talk about my family." the Jounin hissed.

"Your family?"

"My family. Even if Naruto was the dead last, the less powerful ninja in history or worse...I would have been there for him, doing my best to help him. Do not disrespect the sacrifice he and his parents did for Konoha." Kakashi said with narrowed eyes.

"...I'll hold you on that. For now." Auron answered walking away as soon as his arm was released.

"Where are you going?" Asuma asked.

"In two minutes Ibiki will tell them there is a tenth question and in five Anko will make her entrance. I promised I would have helped collect the Tests." the former Guardian answered as he closed the door behind himself.

"Tenth Question?" Kurenai asked.

"I know nothing of this." Gai answered shrugging.

"He is right, that psycho guy just said to the brats that they will have an extra question to answer." a Woman Jounin from Sound Village said while pointing at the screen.

"Maybe Ibiki told him." Asuma said shrugging.

 **Meanwhile – With Auron -**

" **Bad memories?** " Kurama asked sighing.

"Sometimes they return, sometimes they don't. It depends." the man answered.

" **I wonder how things would have played-out with _THEM_ in place of the ones you and I have met in our old life.** "

"Too late to think about it now."

" **Just like they were too late in understanding what they were doing wrong with you.** "

"..."

" **Do you think they were happy we were gone? That that little traitorous shit killed the two of us?** " Kurama asked once the silence grew too long.

"I think they weren't."

" **You LIKE to think they weren't happy**." the Biju corrected with a grunt.

"There were good people in there too." Auron answered as he reached the door to the classroom.

" **Yeah! Good things they did! They stood-by and watched! THEY WATCHED AND DID NOTHING!"** the Fox roared angrily in answer.

"Calm down." the man answered opening the door.

"...Where is Anko?" he asked once seen the students still cursing against Ibiki's fake question.

 _ **CRASH!**_ As on cue the woman broke through the window to stand in front of the class taking what she deemed a bad-ass pose.

"Here she is. You are late, Anko!" Ibiki answered annoyed.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." the woman replied uncaring while waving at the former Guardian and getting a nod in answer.

"HEY! ANOTHER ABURAME!" a boy from Kumo said in surprise.

"WE ARE NOT RELATED!" Shino snapped angrily.

"..."

"...Dude? You can scream?" Kiba asked surprised.

"Shut-up, Kiba." Shino answered with a low voice as he buried his face in the collar of his coat.

"I think it's the first time I heard an Aburame raise his voice, Eh! The wonders of life." Ibiki said smirking.

"Small matters aside, I am here to inform you that your nightmare has just begun! Tomorrow morning at dawn you all MUST be at the Gate number Six of Training Ground 44, also known as _Forest of Death_ , for the second part of this Exam. Whoever is not present will have the WHOLE Team kicked-out of the Exam. That is all." Anko said before signaling to the class to leave.

As the Genin slowly emptied the classroom, the two T&I members and the former Guardian calmly moved to collect the various Tests left behind by the kids.

"Your Team has good chances to go far, you know?" Ibiki said.

"Hn." Auron answered.

"...Would it KILL you give longer answers?" the scarred man answered sighing.

"Ibiki-kun, Anko-chan. Sorry to interrupt but I need Auron for a small matter, can I steal him from you?"

"HOKAGE-SAMA! Of course you can!" both jumped in shock at the improvise appearance of the old man.

"Yes?" the Guardian asked back.

"Please follow me." Hiruzen said moving outside with the man closely following him.

 **Shinobi Academy – Corridors -**

"What do you need?" Auron asked as soon as the two were certain nobody was listening.

 _Sigh!_ "...I won't go into details, but I happen to know ' _Who'_ I am talking with..." Hiruzen said with a meaningful look.

"...Yamanaka." Auron replied.

"Yes. Inoichi-kun erased his memories of it to the point nobody will be able to recover them, so only I know." the old man answered.

"What do you want to know?"

"Will events play-out just like they did with you?" the Hokage asked with narrowed eyes.

"Some have, some hadn't. Zabuza was supposed to die, and not being like he is."

" **I have doubts about it, we do met him in a serious moment, during Missions he does act like the Zabuza we remember.** " Kurama added.

"Can we stop ' _a couple'_ of events from happening here too?" Hiruzen asked.

"Invasion? Your death?"

"To be honest the latter especially worries me, but yes."

"Hard to say, but trying is not forbidden."

"It's still something...Should I ask you..." the old man asked turning concerned.

"Yes?"

"Would you...Would you be able to...Kill...The ones using the summoning circles outside the Village?"

"Me and Kurama will." he answered showing the bottle.

"The Kyuubi is in the bottle?"

"The Fox IS the bottle. How do you know where those summoning circles were?"

"They couldn't have summoned that huge thing in the middle of the Village, the ANBU would have killed them half-way through the ritual. It means the Summoning happened outside before the snake broke through the walls."

"I see. What about the Cursed Seal?"

"We'll see how to counter that too if Orochimaru manages to do the same here. Can I count on you should the Invasion happen here as well?" Hiruzen asked.

"I will."

"Even...Even killing?" Hiruzen asked with a low voice.

"I am a Guardian and a Jounin, I have long since crossed that bridge." he answered calmly.

"Right." the other answered with a sad smile.

"Have you called Jiraiya?" Auron asked.

"He and my other student Tsunade, you should talk to her, she is a nice woman once you know her."

"How?"

"I said I would have banned Icha-Icha from Konoha and called-in all the money Tsunade owes me, they were surprisingly fast in answering my letters." the Hokage answered laughing, pleased to see a small smile appear on the warrior's face.

"Impressive."

"Now go, and be ready." Hiruzen said.

"Why?"

"I saw way more Genin pass than usual, if things keep going this way we may need to use the Tower like it happened with your own Exams. Do you mind be a Proctor there too?"

"Hayate and Yugao are still busy?"

"No, they have finally stopped rutting, but as you can imagine they are too damn tired to get-up."

"..."

"Yes, I already planned the punishment for their unprofessional conduct." the Hokage added smirking.

"Good. Never liked when Tidus and Yuna did the same pretending we others didn't know." Auron answered nodding.

"They did?"

"Every night ever since we defeated Seymour the first time." the other answered.

"Wow! Traveling with them must have been very awkward."

"For Kimahri it was. Rikku and me didn't care, Wakka did but Lulu stopped him from interfering."

"Kimahri-san?"

"Very sensible nose."

"Aaaah! And he saw her grow-up, like a daughter." Hiruzen said in understanding.

"Had to stop him from neutering the boy after the first time. A very long fight."

"Pft-HAHAHAHAHA!"

"With your permission I will be going."

"Huhuhu! Yes, you may go. But please, feel free to come to my Office to talk whenever you want." Hiruzen offered with a gentle smile.

"Will do. Good day, Hokage-sama."

"To you too, Auron-kun." the old man answered, chuckling at the other man's grimace.

"I am still older than you, deal with it." he answered smirking.

"Tch!" the other muttered taking a swing of the Kyuubi-spiked liquor.

" **I gave it an extra-kick, it looked like you needed it."** the Biju said laughing.

"Besieged by all sides." the Guardian growled.

 **The Next Day – Tower in the middle of the Forest of Death – Preliminary fights -**

"So?" Auron asked to one of the ANBU that were stationed around the Tower.

"We could not see hair or hide of Orochimaru, the Uchiha boy entered the Forest and reached the Tower in three days without _hiccups_ , bar a fight with the red-haired boy of Suna that almost managed to tore off one of his arms and a fight with a Team of Sound Village leaving him and his Team pretty trashed, but nothing too taxing for the body..." the masked woman replied.

"...And the spirit?" Auron asked with narrowed eyes.

"Honestly? Sasuke-san was in ' _tatters'_ so to speak." she answered.

"I see. Keep you eyes open just in case, please." the man asked nodding.

"No problems about that." the ANBU answered returning to her rounds.

" **So that bastard preferred doing things more discreetly this time.** " Kurama commented growling.

"He is a snake." the Guardian answered.

" **SO he is good at hiding before striking, this one preferred lowering the boy's self-esteem before approaching. And considering there is not a YOU giving him inferiority complexes...** "

"Hn?"

" **Oh! I know what he meant during your fight in that Valley, for some reason you achievements made him feel a tad jealous, just a tiny bit, and that went added to his MANY issues making his young, moronic mind collapse and accept '** _ **Free Power'.**_ " The Biju said.

"Too many insults."

" **But it brought the point across, here there is not somebody making the boy feel inadequate so the Son of a Bitch of a Sannin made sure to have someone stronger than** **the Uchiha brat humiliate him...Like that the boy will have self-esteem so low to jump at the occasion of a small boost.** " Kurama replied uninterested.

That made Auron stop mid-step as he considered the core of the problem Kurama had brought-up, things were different, in small details yes, but all details regarding the fact that HE was not there as Naruto...it was indeed complicated to image how that would change the scenarios he knew (the very few ones he participated in since he did die young the first time) since he was not there as a kid, but as a grown-up man.

"How different will be the Invasion?" he asked.

" **Difficult to say, you can still fight Gaara and Hiruzen knows that it will be Orochimaru to '** _ **somehow'**_ **kill him, or that he would kill himself to try and kill him with a suicide attack as some voices said...Everything else is a giant mystery.** " the Fox answered unsure.

"Ready to go, Auron-san? It will soon be your turn to shine!" Iruka said with an encouraging thumbs-up.

"Yes." he answered nodding.

" **Mizuki tried the Forbidden Scroll trick and instead of that girl he found a full ANBU squad waiting for him once she alerted the Hokage of the thing, even the fights will be different without you in there...We'll need to keep our eyes open for every difference we will soon encounter.** " Kurama said giving to the Guardian the mental sensation of a friendly pat on the back.

"Well said." Auron answered as he stepped inside the main room and walking to stand in front of the assembled Genin just as Hiruzen stepped forward to address the young candidates.

"Welcome to the last step before the Finals! Now that you are all here, and you are quite more numerous than what we had planned, in order to fix this we will be forced to hold here a set of preliminary fights that will reduce your numbers to a half, something that will be barely enough to have a proper _Tournament_ for our Finals to be honest, but we have no choice." the Hokage admitted with a regretful expression.

"The full Team taking part is not obligatory since starting now you all will fight by yourself, so if any of you wish to retire please say it now so we will be able to re-organize the roster for this event, you won't put your friends' occasion in jeopardy by retiring. Have no fear as this won't mean you won't be able to try again next time, it's your choice" Hiruzen added.

"Then I would prefer to step back, even now I don't feel ready to fight, I prefer saving some dignity instead of going down too easily" Kabuto said with a sheepish smile.

" **That boy will never see the Finals if he keeps this up.** " Kurama muttered sadly.

"Anyone else?" Hiruzen asked as the glasses-wearing boy and some other left the arena until no more Genin took the opportunity to leave.

"No others? Good. Now I will leave the spot-light to Auron-san that will be your proctor and will supervise your fights. I wish you all good luck!" The Hokage then said stepping back.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama!" the Genin present answered bowing as the Former Guardian stepped forward.

"Rules are simple: I call your names, you step down here and Fight. The names will be chosen randomly and displayed on that screen _._ The fights will go on until one or both participants are unable to fight, yield or die." Auron said freezing the present with a long, cold stare.

"If I say stop it means Stop and the fight will be considered over and the judges will say who is the winner. Do not challenge the decision." the man then said before falling silent and stepping back.

"The guy really creeps me out." Kankurou from Suna muttered.

"I find him quite enticing instead." Temari answered.

"...You and your ' _Uncle-like/older man_ ' fetish." the Puppet-user answered sighing.

"First Match." Auron called-out as names started rolling on the screen until it stopped on the first duo of names.

" _ **Hinata Hyuga**_ _ **VS**_ _ **Neji Hyuga**_..." the Guardian said making everyone but the two leave the floor.

" **Yep!** **Different fights.** "Kurama said with a hollow chuckle.

"Fight." Auron said calmly and yet some would swear he briefly nailed the young Hyuga boy with a cold stare that had the young Genin falter a little.

" _That was a Hyuga glare all right._ " Neji was forced to admit at least in the privacy of his thoughts.

The fight went just like he remembered: Angst, Angst, Angst, _Fate Speech_ , Angst, "You are a Loser" talk and "You know what it feels" whining.

"WILL YOU STOP ALREADY!?"

"..."

There, Hinata screaming like that was new instead.

"Just give me the finishing blow, I don't care! JUST SHUT-UP!"

"Be quiet! You have no idea of my sorrow!" Neji answered charging forward in complete rage.

The final " _Beating"_ closed with Hinata falling to the floor heavily wounded, but contrary to last time, the Jounin that were about to intercept Neji unneeded (and merciless) attack on the downed girl stopped midway when they saw the heavily sweating Neji pale considerably and be overtaken by violent shivers of fear.

Why? Auron had calmly anticipated him and positioned _Masamune_ blade-up between the boy's legs and moved the weapon upward forcing him to stand precariously on his tip-toes while the blade still pressed heavily on his crotch.

"She is down and unable to fight. Winner of the Match: Neji Hyuga. Now stop this childish tantrum of yours and let the medics do their job or I will be forced to disqualify you." the Guardian said calmly as he raised the blade just a fraction more making Neji squeak in dread.

"OF COURSE! I THOUGHT SHE WAS ABOUT TO GET UP! BUT I WAS WRONG! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!" the boy shrieked immediately as the sword went a tiny bit higher still and cutting through his pants, tripling his sweating ratio as a result.

"We got her, let him go." one of the medics said with a thumbs-up.

"Good." Auron answered nodding as he removed the sword.

"Ah-haa! Ah-aah! T-They are still there!" Neji muttered in relief after a rapid check at his ' _equipment'_.

"A way good as any other to stop him, I guess." Asuma said shrugging.

"Free the arena for the next fight...And later we will talk." the former Guardian said as soon as Neji too vacated the arena, giving a wide berth to the man as he passed in front of him.

"Next fight."

" _ **YAAAAAAAWN!**_ **God, this is boring!"** Kurama said with sleepy eyes as he kept yawing.

To be honest, it was a very boring job from THAT side of the competition.

Shino Aburame used his insects to cover Kankurou's hands stopping him from using his puppets so revealing that the Suna boy had swapped place with the thing so to hide in the cloth-covered bundle strapped to the puppet's back.

The Puppet-user answered by "sprouting" four extra arms and attack the Aburame boy with a hidden needle-shooter hidden inside it, ending-up shocked when the Konoha Genin exploded into bugs while the Original grabbed the real Kankurou from behind in a bear hug so that the majority of his swarm could cover the other boy making him faint immediately after in exhaustion.

Sasuke fought against Rock Lee, and while he gained few more technique from the Taijutsu Fanatuc, the fight was a very close-call for the young Uchiha Heir (more than MANY actually anticipated) as he managed to gain the upper-hand at the last moment, thing that while making him the winner, didn't help his mounting sorrow, thing that the hidden Orochimaru was instead very happy about.

Sakura and Ino had to fight the two Genin of Sound Village that could manipulate sound and air-pressure, knocking the Yamanaka out by scrambling her brain to mush through vibrations and slamming Sakura against _and through_ a wall thanks to a too-powerful air cannon.

Chouji Akimichi had it bad when Temari managed to lift his inflated body mid-jutsu to slam him against the ceiling of the arena thanks to a well-place tornado of hers that also uprooted several tiles to pelter the flying boy with them before her last **Kamaitachi** attack blew him towards the spectators area and in the arms of Asuma, launching both back in a tangle on unconscious bodies.

The only messy fight was the young boy that had unfortunately took what would have been Auron's past-self place in Team 7, he never stood a chance as Gaara pulverized both arms and legs almost to the point of those being torn-off before Kakashi could fully intervene, the young Genin will live, but his days as ninja were clearly over.

" **Are we done yet?** " the Biju asked pleadingly while he and Auron watched Kiba being carted-out together with Shikamaru, in another close-call fight the Nara boy had won his fight with more wounds than he had anticipated because of some improvised tactics of Akamaru.

"Last Fight ended in a draw. Tenten Higurashi of Konoha and Yojirobei of Kumo, once both have been healed you others will be informed about who is the winner." Auron said as both unconscious ' _Weapon Experts'_ were being silently took away by the doctors.

"Wondeful! Simply wonderful! I congratulate the ones that managed to come this far, you showed great abilities and cleverness during your fights, as you can see on the monitor behind me we have already paired your names and decided the order in which you will fight, you have two months to prepare for the Finals; two months before you will be called to give your very best in front of everybody for the chance to be selected and gain the rank of Chuunin. Good Luck with your training and remember that you will be representing your Village as a whole, so give your best." Hiruzen said while clapping his hands.

"THANK YOU, HOKAGE-SAMA!" the assembled Genin answered as one.

"Thank you as well for the nice show. You are free to go." the old man answered with a gentle smile making the young boys and girls start leaving.

"Hoy! Auron!" Anko yelled dragging Kurenai and Asuma behind herself.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Wanna come with us? We were going to visit a pub or two!" she said smirking.

"Please say yes, we too had no choice." Asuma pleaded sighing.

"Come oooon! Kakashi and Zabuza too will come! And that Haku boy says he needs you to stop your buddy from drinking too much!" Anko pleaded whining, behind her Haku was bowing toward the Guardian several times with Zabuza standing next to him.

 _Sigh!_ "Yes." Auron answered with a suffered sigh.

"YAY!" the woman answered cheering happily and dragging away both her friends.

" **She is always that happy? I enby her.** " Kurama muttered.

"..." without saying a word Auron simply shrugged ad followed Anko outside and towards her favourite pub accompanied by an equally-eager Zabuza and a still apologizing Haku.

"It's okay."

"I am sorry, Auron-sama! But Zabuza-sama tends to drink too much if he has not somebody there to stop him!" the young man answered sheepishly.

"HEY! I can control myself, thank you!" the swordsman answered offended.

" **...It feels good to have a nice group of friends once again, eh?"** the Biju asked with a sad smile.

"... _A little."_ Auron thought in answer after a short pause making the Biju laugh uproariously.

Yes, it did feel kind of good to be once again surrounded by such noisy, cheerful people, he had missed it a lot after the death of both Braska and Jecht, even if he never wanted to admit it aloud; and what he had now, to him, was something that he would never give up, no matter what he would be forced to face to protect it.

 **End of the Chapter.**

 **I hate writing the Chuunin Exams, you should know it by now, and that usually means that quality drops vertically when I have to talk about them.**

 **Luckily next one will cover Finals and Invasion and Kurama's summoning as Eon, then the story will once again become more interesting for me to write.**

 **Thank you for reading, sorry if the final part of the chapter was a little lacking.**

 **I will see you around the Net, Bye!**

 **Tr230.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'll try to stay in character, but the "Silent Hero" Type is kind of hard for me, so** ** _PLEASE_** **excuse me if sometimes I will derail into OOC territory. I am not doing it on purpose** ** _this time._**

 **I took some liberties about the obects used in Final Fantasy X in place of normal spells, please forgive me.**

" **You bastard"** \- demon talking / jutsu

"Let's finish this" - dialogue

" _Can it get any worse?_ " - during flashback/ Thoughts

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything else I will use nor I make a profit out of this, I am writing just for the pleasure of doing it.**

 **(Naruto/Final Fantasy X crossover) Pairing Auron/Anko (Because I think she is the one " _Closer"_ to being Like _Rikku_ was in the game).**

 **Chapter 4: The Finals.**

 **Hokage Tower – Hiruzen's Office – day before the Chuunin Exams Finals -**

The Third Hokage was sitting behind his desk deep in thought while lightly munching on the mouth piece of his pipe, completely ignoring the world around him in favour of just humming randomly or drumming on the hard wood of the desk with pointer and middle finger of a hand, his other hand was idly playing with a rejected request of funding for the creation of a civilians-only sex shop megamall that the old man had used to make a paper airplane.

"I died...But Orochimaru escaped with only his arms looking _dead_...Not cut-off, burned or crushed...but corpse-like and already rotting...What technique does that? And did I use it, or it was him?" The old man muttered aloud as he threw the airplane and watched it make a perfect arch to land in the garbage bin at the other side of his office.

"Orochi-kun is too afraid of dying to use a suicide technique, even with countermeasures in place...And is the state of his arms even connected to my death? Apparently bar few bruises and a stabbing wound, my body lacked any sort of mark suggesting something extraordinary happened. Then what was it?"

"The stabbing...That was killing me, he probably used the **Kusanagi** blade, and then I probably answered with a double suicide technique to take him down with me...But which one?...Damn it, why I have to know so many techniques? It is biting me in the ass now!" the old man exhaled in tired anger as ONCE AGAIN he mentally played the simulation of a battle against Orochimaru using the few details he had thanks to Auron's past life memories.

"If he used the **Kusanagi** , then I probably called **Enma** , very few things can stand against that sword, and I have not a Biju and their **chakra cloak** to use...So the _Adamantine Staff_ would be my best bet, even just a little as that too would fail against that blade." he muttered with a scrunched expression.

"But then...What did I do to _kill_ his arms?" he muttered.

"Kill a body part...What can kill only a piece of somebody?"

It was then that a duo of knocking sounds interrupted his musing, one from the door and one from the window behind him.

"Enter! And Jiraiya, please! Start using the door like normal people." Hiruzen answered momentarily dropping the issue to watch two of his old students enter his office to sit in front of him.

" _Two out of three came out decent, personal issues and vices notwithstanding...It could have gone worse._ " he thought while clearing his throat and putting off his pipe.

"I am glad you were so fast in answering my summon! It warms my heart to see that I am still that dear to you!" the Hokage said with a jovial laugh.

 _Grumble Grumble!_ The two Sannin simply crossed their arms and pouted like children in answer, along grumbling few less-than-gentle epithets about the old man.

"Threatening my Icha-icha series was a low blow, sensei." Jiraiya said annoyed.

"What the pervert said, you swore you didn't want those money back as well," Tsunade added.

"How was I supposed to entice you back fast then? You like to play the Trope of the ' _Wandering Warriors'_ so much it's hard to reach you to have a proper talk!" Hiruzen answered.

"I have my reasons to stay away from here, sensei." Tsunade answered.

"You'll have to face your grief someday, Tsunade, you can't hide forever from your problems." the Hokage answered sighing.

"Same going for you, Jiraiya." he then added.

"We lost a lot, sensei. It's hard to forget...That is why I try to keep as much busy as I can with my Spy network and Tsunade-hime doesn't even want to hear the word _Konoha_." the Toad Sannin replied sighing and tiredly passing a hand through his hair.

"AND burying the rest under booze, loose women, gambling and soft-core pornography." Hiruzen added sternly making the two flinch.

"Grow-up and just accept your losses as an adult would, please. Take this as a warning, not as an insult...I speak from experience...Dwelling too much on the memories will break you otherwise." Hiruzen said sighing as he looked at the pictures of his dead wife Biwako on his desk and at the one of the Fourth Hokage resting on the wall.

"It hurts." Tsunade admitted grimacing.

"I know, I feel it everyday as if it just happened." the old man replied.

"...So Orochimaru is really planning something big." Jiraiya tried saying to switch subject and spare the three of them further sorrow.

"So it seems, as for now I can't even try to sweet-talk Suna out of this, God only knows what Orochimaru would use as Plan B should that happen." Hiruzen answered getting up from his seat to walk towards the window and look outside.

"Sometimes I wonder if we should have really killed him..." Jiraiya admitted grimacing.

"Wondering on the _Ifs_ and what would have happened won't help, what do you need from us, sensei?" Tsunade answered.

"I am certain Orochi-kun already knows about you two coming here and is altering his plans accordingly, so we'll need to counter his counter move...The usual, shinobi trying to out-trick each other with contingency plans after contingency plans hidden under faints and wrapped in long term strategies with a dash of sheer dumb luck thrown in the mix." Hiruzen answered making the two groan.

"Can't things be resolved with a simple ' _Who gets the more flashy and powerful Jutsu wins'_ scenario? Just ONCE." Jiraiya asked whining.

"Things didn't work like that in the Academy when we were kids, why would they work like that NOW?" Tsunade answered whining herself.

"Because I want it to?" her friend answered wit a faint smile.

"...Then that is two of us with me..." she answered dropping her head low in defeat.

"If we work together I am sure we will pull through, have no fear." Hiruzen tried saying with a comforting smile.

"I hope so." both Sannin said at the same time with a miserable expression.

 _Knock! Knock!_

"Who's it now?" Hiruzen asked curious.

"Auron." came in answer from outside.

"Aah, yes! Please come in!" the Hokage answered smiling.

"That Ronin I heard joined Konoha? Since when we let disgraced samurai join us? Is it to stick it to Mifune?" Jiraiya asked amused.

"No, he is just a special case." the old man said as the former Guardian entered.

"Wow…" Tsunade said with a low voice.

"You wanted to see me, Auron-kun?"

"Everything is ready for tomorrow with still no traces of the Snake Sannin, the ANBU came back empty handed." he answered.

"Thank you for alerting me. Those two are my former students and pretty-much-legendary ' _Sannin'_ , Jiraiya and Tsunade." Hiruzen said with an amused expression.

"Wow..." the Slug Sannin muttered again as the Guardian answered to the introduction with a simple nod of his head.

"Grrr!" Jiraiya instead went for a handshake while growling challenging, and he looked particularly miffed at the lack of response when he used more strength than necessary to grab Auron's hand.

"Since you are here, I would like to know if _him_ will help us." Hiruzen asked while throwing a glance at the man's rum jug.

"He will help." Auron answered.

"Him?"

"His Aeon." Hiruzen answered pleased.

"Aeon?" Tsunade asked

"Summon." the old Guardian answered.

"So you posses a summoning contract, eh? Which one?" Jiraiya inquired with narrowed eyes.

"No contract, just a pact with a single Aeon." Auron answered simply.

"A single summon is not very useful!"

"Please, STOP being so territorial, Jiraiya." Tsunade begged sighing.

"I am not being territorial!" the Spy Master answered with a childish whine.

"Yes you are!" she replied.

"Am not!"

"Are!"

"Am not!"

"...You need something else?" Auron asked while the two Sannin kept bickering.

"Help in making them behave like adults?" Hiruzen asked sighing as his two students were now blowing raspberries at each other.

"Something actually possible?" the other replied nonplussed making the room freeze in an astounded silence, hidden ANBU in the office comprised.

"..."

"..."

 _THUD!_ One of the masked ANBU clinging to the ceiling actually came crashing down as his chakra control slipped making him fall.

"Understood." taking it as a permission to leave, Auron turned around and calmly exited the office after giving a short bow with his head.

" **You...You made a joke?"** Kurama asked looking deeply shocked.

"..." the Guardian simply refused to answer.

"IT'S A SIGN! THE END OF THE WORLD IS COMING! REPENT FOR YOUR SINS!" a far-away voice yelled in complete horror.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" another replied screaming shrilly as the whole staff of the Hokage Tower fell into deranged hysteria.

"It was not a joke, but I do posses a sense of humor." Auron muttered with a low voice, unknown to him making Tidus, Jecht and Braska splutter in disbelief from the otherworld.

 **The next day – path towards the arena -**

"AURON! AURON! OVER HEEEERE!" Anko called-out as she ran towards the former Guardian to latch to his arm.

"Yes?" he asked.

"The Finals start in a few moments, want to walk there together?" the woman asked with a sweet smile the ones knowing her could have sworn was physically impossible for her to achieve before she met the man.

"...Yes." he replied looking as stoic as usual.

"Awesome!" she answered happily as she actually grabbed his hand too while clutching to his arm to drag him towards the arena.

" **You actually enjoy her company, don't you?** " Kurama asked teasing.

" _So it seems._ " he replied as he let Anko direct him without resisting.

"Aaaw! So you are already taken? Now, that's a pity." a new voice said making Anko stop abruptly to look at the interloper, and make her bar her teeth with a growl once seen who was talking.

"Tsunade." Auron saluted with a nod.

"Good morning. Did I interrupt something?" the Sannin asked smirking amused at the scathing glare she was getting from the other girl.

"We were walking _TOGETHER_ towards the Arena for the Finals." Anko answered hissing.

" _She seems pretty taken by him." Sigh!_ " _To be that young again, what wouldn't I give; let's see if he is as serious as he makes himself to be. Poor girl deserves a nice man._ " smiling a little deviously, Tsunade moved both her hands at her hips and gave a tiny shrug in what was a very well-practiced maneuver.

The apparently small movement made her _assets_ giggle quite violently, making every girl in a twenty meters radius grow furious/green in envy and every male in a THIRTY meters radius get distracted enough to commit a long series of mistakes that even caused a near shop to catch fire…

Jiraiya instead seemingly teleported at her side in an instant as if he had heard the ' _sound'_ of her breast's jiggling from the opposite side of Kohoha, better than any trained dog with its whistle.

"You called?" Jiraiya asked eagerly.

"No, I didn't." she answered, greatly pleased to see that Auron's eyes had not twitched of a millimeter away from looking straight at hers.

" _Well, I'll be damned, Anko! You found a damn good one! See to keep him close, the ones like him and Dan are hard to find._ " Tsunade thought smiling happily, once remembered the girl did not posses a Bloodline Ability able to kill with a glare, because the furious one the Slug Sannin was getting was making a damn good job at trying to burn her alive.

"Let's go, Anko." Auron said snapping the woman away from her anger.

"Oh! Right! let's go!" Anko answered looking extremely pleased by the Guardian's lack of response to the provocation.

" **Uuuuh! I wonder what it feels like to bury your face in there..."** Kurama whined with a longing expression.

" _Control yourself._ "

" **Easy for you to say! How can you not notice those melons?!** "

" _The look in her eyes. I can recognize a trap when I see one, and Lulu was just like her, the cleavage was not for show._ " Auron answered, remembering well how many guards, bandits and soldiers could get distracted by the black mage's choice of attire.

" **...Did Lulu-san really walk out of the** **bathroom** **without a towel once?** " Kurama asked shyly.

" _She needed Wakka to stop thinking about the next Blizball Tournament and get the hint she wanted a baby._ "

Jecht had been spying on the living world, as usual, and had simply refused to stop going in great detail about what he saw Lulu doing, thing that had disturbed Auron quite a lot since he didn't believe her to be capable of such things.

" **Oooh! To be there and be witness of her nude glory...** " the Biju groaned in dismay.

 _Sigh!_

 **Back With Tsunade -**

"Sooo!" As the Sannin too was about to join the others in the Arena she felt an arm going around her shoulders.

"Zabuza-sama..." and a way less rough voice sigh in defeat right after.

"I know this wonderful place where one can drink some damn nice cocktails without being bothered, wanna join me there? My treat of course." Zabuza said with his best charming tone and smile, unfortunately ruined by his eyes clearly zooming DEEP into her cleavage without even a hint of shame.

"HEY! Those are MY tits!" Jiraiya bellowed furious as he forcefully dragged the former Mist Swordsman away.

"I didn't see your name there! And I checked thoroughly." Zabuza replied smirking.

"Only I, The Great And Powerful Jiraiya, can feast on that masterpiece! Not you, heathen!"

"Somebody as old as you are? Don't make me laugh!"

"It must be hard for a girl to travel with a father like him, you have all my respect, sister." Tsunade said sighing while patting Haku's back.

"Zabuza-sama is more like a mentor than a father-figure, and I am a male." Haku answered grimacing at being mistaken for a girl once again.

"You are? Daamn, I am so sorry...But your skin is just so damn smooth and pretty!" the woman replied embarrassed as she caressed the boy's cheek, making Zabuza and Jiraiya stop abruptly in their arguing.

"T-Thank you." blushing demurely at the praise, Haku gave a clumsy, embarrassed smile to Tsunade prompting a squeal from the Sannin.

"Aaaw! You are just too cute!" she said hugging him tightly, thing that buried Haku's face deep in Tsunade's chest making his head almost disappear, and the small part still visible from the ' _Marshmallow Heaven'_ it was in was blushing HARD.

"HAKUUUUUU!" Zabuza howled furious like never before.

"BRAAAAAAAT!" Jiraiya chorused equally blood-thirsty.

"COME BACK HERE!" both men yelled as they started chasing away the shrieking boy through the Village.

"...Pfft-hahahahaha! That was too easy! I am sorry, Haku-san, but I needed a bait to shrug those two perverts away from me. I just hope Jiraiya will soon remember we have some work to do and take position." Tsunade had just waited enough time for the group to be away before letting go the evil laugh she had been biting back before she too finally joined the others in the Arena.

 **Some time later – Arena of the Finals – hidden passages.**

Not every wall of the Arena was actually a real one, a few of them in fact housed hidden tunnels for security reasons, tunnels that the Jounin of Konoha had been secretly ordered to use to check on the audience and the foreign dignitaries.

"Kurenai." Kakashi said as he too finally joined the others in there.

"You actually took the time for a theatrical entrance?" the Genjutsu Mistress asked as she saw the man drop his eye-smile to grow more serious.

"I had to look natural, and it helped cheering Sasuke up a little." the man answered as his stare scanned the crowd watching with great intensity.

"Still bad?" Gai, he too looking more focused than who normally knew him had ever seen, asked as he instead focused on the Kage reserved area.

"He is the only one of Team 7 getting here, and it had been a hard fight at that. I fear that what happened in the Forest of Death against Gaara-san hit him deep inside, deeper than I anticipated."

"He is acting strange actually, he keeps grabbing his shoulder." Asuma added as he saw the lone boy grab his shoulder and grimace from time to time.

"His shoulder?" Kakashi asked confused as he saw the Uchiha boy acting strange.

"He looked normal this morning...Except for some bandages on his shoulder."

"Bandages?" Kurenai asked.

"He said it was just a scratch, so I didn't dwell too much into it." the masked Jounin answered unsure.

"I was too worried about him being depressed and ignored the thing."

"Maybe he tried training too hard and got hurt?" Gai said.

"Probably, I hope he won't do something too stupid." Kakashi answered sighing.

"..." a tense silence fell in those corridors as more ANBU joined the Jounin in there.

"Hey...Are we really preparing for an Invasion?" Gai asked swallowing hard.

"So it seems, the old man told me to be cautious in case Suna does join the attackers, the information Jiraiya-san's spies gathered were not too detailed about it." Asuma answered gritting his teeth hard.

"That must be why the Clan Heads are present as well then, Hiashi-san looks about ready to start **Juken** heads off left and right." Kurenai commented as the Hyuga Clan Head while looking as composed as usual, had an even _colder_ look in his eyes than normal.

"Tsume-sama's whole body is shivering heavily, if she doesn't calm down, people will understand something's up." an ANBU commented worried.

"Hey, it's Sasuke's turn, against Gaara." Kakashi said worried.

"He looks...Scared?" Kurenai said surprised.

"More likely angry." Gai corrected her with narrowed eyes as the Uchiha boy assaulted the Suna boy with cold hatred and clear desire to maim him.

"Something's wrong." Kakashi hissed as he saw his student start drawing on chakra, only for it to feel _wrong_ somehow.

It was then that Sasuke's **chidori jutsu** (that Kakashi decided to teach him in hidden desperation for that fight) pierced the dome of sand protecting Gaara making the Suna boy scream in a voice decidedly not human.

"SHIT! That is Biju Chakra! The boy really is a Jinchuuriki!" a near ANBU yelled in shock.

"A Jinchuuriki?! Here!?" the other Jounin yelled with wide eyes as feathers started falling on the audience making everybody fall asleep.

"THIS IS ' _MISTER WOOD_ ' TO ALL POINTS! CODE RED! CODE RED! THE INFO WAS RIGHT! WE HAVE A RAGING BIJU BEING UNLEASHED!" the same ANBU yelled in his radio making other masked Black Ops spring in action.

At the same time that happened an explosion turned the Kage area and the surrounding seats to dust, scattering the unharmed Kages and their personal guards in there and turning the unfortunate victims too close to the bang to smoldering corpses.

"It's a direct attack! Move! Move!" Kakashi yelled as he and the other Jounin joined the battle along every other shinobi of Konoha able to fight.

"Wait a minute! Where the fuck is Auron?!" Kurenai asked aloud as a veritable flood of Suna and Oto shinobi filled the streets and the Arena while in the chaos Gaara went accompanied out by his brothers in the cover of the mess of battles and killings going around them.

" _In position._ " the woman heard the former Guardian answer from the radio necklace she was wearing, his tone was so calm that she had trouble believing her ears.

 **With Auron – path towards the Hokage Monument -**

" **So it's my turn to join?** " Kurama asked.

"Yes." the man answered.

" **You need me giant or** **horse sized?** "

"As big as you can." he said as he _calmly_ made his way up the mountain while around him was utter devastation.

" **Deja-vu, just like when you met Jecht's son**." the Biju commented dryly.

Without answering, Auron walked to the stone figure of the Fourth Hokage's head, and once took a generous gulp from his jug, he raised the bottle to the sky as if offering a bit to the heavens, and from inside the bottle several drops flew out to reach the clouds making the sky darken as if a storm was coming.

The Invasion actually stopped for a moment when the simply titanic circle of Spiran runes appeared in the sky _dwarfing_ the entire Village as lightning bolts and hellish fire surged from the outermost ring of writing to the center making it ripple like water and unleashing a ferocious gust of wind on Konoha howling and battering everything around the area.

" **GRAAAAAAAAAAAH!** " Kurama bellowed in glee as he broke his way out from the marking and fell from the sky, and bar the feather earrings he was wearing, the jade pendant shaped like a fang around his neck and the Spiran runes running along his nine tails, he looked just as menacing as the day he attacked Konoha, only this time he looked even bigger.

MUCH BIGGER.

"Konoha unleashed the Kyubi!" a Suna shinobi screamed in horror.

"IT'S BIGGER! WHY IN GOD'S NAME IT'S BIGGER!?" A Konoha ANBU close to him shrieked in answer as the barely-forgotten fear of that terrible night returned full force in everybody's mind. With interests.

"Show off." Auron, calmly standing on Kurama's head, said unimpressed.

" **Screw it! it's a standard Aeon Summoning, it is supposed to look cool!** **Now go help defending the Village, I'll deal with dear Shukaku.** " the Biju-turned-Aeon answered while gently depositing the Guardian down and then rushing towards the fairly-worried-looking giant Tanuki looking at him from outside the Village walls.

"IT TAAAAAALKS?!"

"Be careful."

" **Please! I am awesome, give me some credit!** " Kurama yelled in answer without looking back at him.

"Tha-tha-tha...THAT'S THE KYUBI!" Asuma yelled with wide eyes.

"He is Kurama." Auron replied nonplussed.

"IT'S OUR BIJU!"

"He is my Aeon."

"IT...He does look a little different, now that I look at him, is he a relative of our Biju?" Asuma was about to scream again when he finally noticed the differences between Kurama NOW and how he looked back during that night.

"No idea. Now fight." Auron answered uncovering his arm and brandishing his sword making it rest on his shoulder.

"PARTNEEEER!" Zabuza yelled as he shoved away the two Oto ninjas still _stuck_ on his sword with an uncaring shoving making the two corpses tumble away like toys.

"Auron-sama!" Haku added as the boy and swordsman joined the Guardian.

"Need some help?" Zabuza asked.

"You are late." Auron commented.

"I am sorry, Auron-sama! Zabuza-sama got overly-excited about the Invasion and we wasted time." Haku answered bowing.

"It is not your fault, Haku." Auron answered.

"Sooo! Chain-smoker! Me and the boys will cover this side of Konoha, so why don't you go play down there and leave the real warriors work?" Zabuza asked cheekily.

"Real warriors?!" Asuma growled in answer.

"Yup! You tree-huggers never knew how to make a good Chuunin Exam anyway, I was actually falling asleep even before the Genjutsu came! So go play with some leaves while I do some _**PROPER**_ shinobi work and save your Village." he answered.

"PLAYING WITH SOME LEAVES!? THIS IS SOO ON! I WILL SHOW YAH!" Asuma bellowed furious as he threw away his cigarette and stomped on it with enough strength to crack the terrain.

"What? You mean you will kill more invaders than me? Hahahaha! that's hilarious...No wait! You are serious, let me laugh harder then! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" the former Mist swordsman answered laughing loudly.

"I'LL SHOW YOU!" literally foaming at the mouth, Asuma threw himself at the enemy spitting and raving in rage soon making blood rain everywhere from the ridiculous amount of victims he was reaping.

"Aaaw! See? He just needed the right push! He was just being shy!" Zabuza cooed happily as he absent-mindedly cleaved a Suna shinobi in half with a vertical slash of his sword.

"Just focus." Auron answered simply as they joined the fight.

 **Meanwhile – with Hiruzen -**

"Soo, sensei...Something tells me you are not as surprised of all this as I thought you would be, why so?" Orochimaru asked honestly curious.

"What makes you say that?" barely dodging a water-made shark shoot at him by the second Hokage, Hiruzen asked back with a glare.

"Jiraiya and Tsunade being here can be excused with it being a mere chance, but somehow you knew I was here for the Uchiha heir even without me making any move at him until right before the finals started...And now you were even expecting the explosion and the Genjutsu, because even the other kages showed surprise, all of them, but NOT YOU. How?"

"No comments on me having a very Kyuubi-like summon pummeling the Suna Jinchuuriki?" Hiruzen countered as he deflected the Shodaime's **wooden spear** jutsu with Enma _adamantine staff_ form.

"Perfect choice of words, _Kyu_ _u_ _bi-like_ , I can tell that is not a Biju; a pity though that his language is a bit _colorful_."

" **Come here you sandy asshole! I am gonna rip your fucking head off and shit down your fucking** **throat** **!** " Kurama was heard screaming as he kicked Shukaku's body making half his body shatter to a cloud of sand.

"Huhuhu! Almost _Shakespearean_!" Orochimaru added in sarcasm.

" _Meh_! You and your fixation for oversea authors, I prefer my _Haiku_ everyday to that modern stuff." Hiruzen answered uninterested.

"Me too." the Nidaime Hokage answered with a monotone voice.

"Ditto." also said the Shodaime.

" _Pfeh_! Why I still waste time talking with poorly-acculturated people with closed minds?" the Snake Sannin huffed annoyed as he too joined the battle.

 **Back to Auron -**

"Bwahahahaha! I am Kabaneri Iroshi, _'The Iron Fortress'_ of Suna! You cannot defeat me, Konoha worms!" A very tall and tanned man wearing heavy armour and brandishing a thick iron shield two feet tall yelled angrily as he used the shield as an offensive weapon to bash a near Jounin of Konoha against and through a wall.

"Toshiro! Damn you." Hayate growled in fury as he watched his colleague laying unconscious after the terrifying charge.

"Enough." the Guardian whispered with a calm tone as he ran towards Kabaneri.

"Auron!" the swordsman of Konoha said with an elated smile at seeing the arrival of some help.

"Uuuh! I heard about you! Let's see that fancy sword of yours up close! I want to shatter it!" the Suna Jounin said excited while hiding behind his shield and charging forward.

"AURON! BE CAREFUL!" Hayate yelled with wide eyes.

" **Shooting Star."** he heard the Guardian mutter as the samurai stopped running abruptly to slid forward, grab his sword with both hands and swing it like a professional baseball player.

 _ **CLAAAAAANG!**_ With a deafening clanging noise Auron's sword broke Kabaneri's shield in two and shattered the man's armour, sending the so-called ' _Iron Fortress'_ flying outside Konoha. Literally.

"Never mind…" Hayate commented with both his eyebrows raised high as he watched the Suna Jounin comically disappear beyond the horizon like a true shooting star, immediately understanding why the technique was called like that.

"Need help?" Auron asked as new Suna and Oto shinobi surrounded him and Hayate.

"Yes, thank you. I was about to try and see if I could join my girl to help her." the other answered.

"Fine enough." the Guardian answered fishing inside his coat a vial of green stuff and emptying it on Hayate's head making his wounds and fatigue disappear instantly.

"...You'll have to tell me how to get my hands on some medicines of Spira, this shit is good." the man admitted with a dead-pan tone.

"Hn." the Guardian answered taking his jug and taking a generous sip from it.

"This is not the moment for a celebratory drink!"

In answer Hayate watched Auron _spit_ the alcohol on his sword, this made three rings of Spiran runes appear around the blade that then went absorbed by the weapon so that it went covered by a fire-like aura.

"EH?!"

As soon as Auron slammed the blade down, from the impact point on the ground three spheres of living darkness came to life like vengeful spirits to seek one of the Oto shinobi and enter his body making him scream in agony as he seemingly burned alive from inside-out in eerie black flames before collapsing, probably VERY DEAD.

"What shit did you drink!?" Hayate asked as he watched his companion move to fight the others with a way-too-calm expression.

All this stress for a **Banishing Blade** Overdrive, sure using two Overdrive attacks in a row was very tiring, but an Invasion was nothing to sneeze at! Auron thought that ending things quickly was the only course of action, and since he still had qualms about hurting Suna Shinobi, dealing with the Oto side first was his best option before focusing on Gaara's Village.

He could only hope Kurama won't overdo fighting by himself.

 **With Kurama – Battle against Shukaku -**

" **I expected more, Shukaku! Where is your bravery, eh?! There is no Giuky to hide behind now! So you HAVE TO put words to action and show me how strong you are! COME ON!** " the Biju-turned-Aeon bellowed as a new titanic fireball formed in his mouth for him to spit at the Tanuki.

" **WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"** Shukaku answered as once again his wind bullet went dwarfed by the fireball that shattered it and almost burned the sand Biju had it not threw himself on the ground letting the miniaturized sun fly over his head.

" **I am Kurama, Shukaku-kun! Do you not recognize your brother?!** " Kurama answered spinning on himself with enough strength to form a tornado for an instant and pulling everything (Shukaku comprised) towards him.

" **You are not Kurama!** **You look nothing like him and he is dead!** " Shukaku whimpered in answer as he went pinned down by the way bigger fox.

" **And yet here I am! Missed me?** " the other replied with a fanged smirk.

" **...No...No I didn't miss you."** the Tanuki replied lamely.

" **Huhuhu! Quit being such a Tsundere, you are almost as bad as Goku. What's wrong with you others and being too shy to admit you like me and Gyuki?"** Kurama replied, incredibly making Shukaku blush even if his body was currently made out of sand.

" **No homo."**

" **That's sexist, Shukaku. And I meant like in a familiar way...You no like Big Brother Kurama?** " the giant fox asked baby talking.

" **You are only five minutes older than me! And that's because the old man created you first!** " Shukaku answered whining.

And at that MANY shinobi that were good enough at multi-tasking to hear them while still attacking/defending Konoha wondered what the flying fuck those two were actually talking about.

" **That didn't sound like a no to me!** " Kurama cooed smirking.

" **...Since when you are so open...** " the Tanuki muttered.

" **I fixed my issues after my first death and rebirth. Now...Tell me you love your big brother."**

" **NO!"**

" **Say it."**

" **NO!"**

" **Say it or I'll lick my finger and shove it in your ear, I know you hate it and that you'll feel it even in this form."**

" **Y-Y-You wouldn't dare! We no longer** **are** **puppies!** "

 _Sluuuurp!_ Making a show of theatrically licking one of his fingers until it started dripping, Kurama smirked evilly and neared said finger to Shukaku's face with very slow movements.

" **Kyyyyaaaaaah! Nonononononononono!** " now squirming violently and shaking his head, Shukaku shrieked trying to braek free.

" **Say you love me and let that brat of your Vessel go and you won't get the finger."**

" **OKAY! OKAY! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU!"**

" **Call me '** _ **Onii-sama'.** " _Kurama ordered making the other look at him in horror.

" **...** **I love you...O-Onii-sama."** looking ready to puke, Shukaku swallowed the few sparks of pride he still had and complied with a miserable expression on his face.

" **Awww! See? It wasn't hard!"** Kurama answered patting the Tanuki's head.

" **I hate you..."**

" **No, you don't."** The Fox said smugly.

 _Sigh!_ " **...No, I don't...I am happy you are back, even if you are an asshole. I'll tell the others as well."**

" **Thank you, Shukaku.** " Kurama answered smiling as he watched the giant sand body disperse leaving behind Gaara for the giant Fox to grab between two of his massive fingers.

"...I am certain we can talk this out like civilized people." Gaara proposed once awakened to see himself at few inches from the summon's giant mouth.

" **I am not one for politics, I am just hungry."** Kurama answered smirking.

"...My brother Kankurou is very tasty." the Suna Jinchuuriki answered with a straight face.

"GAARA! WHAT THE FUCK?!" a new male voice shrieked in betrayal.

" **Bah! Whatever. I have more pressing matters to take care of, you three go back to Suna.** " the giant fox said unceremoniously dropping Gaara for the boy's sister Temari to barely catch in time.

"Hey! We have not done yet! Where are you going?" Kankurou yelled challenging the Aeon.

" **I am going to see if I can save an old man, kabuki-boy.** "

"Hey! That…That is a fairly rare one actually." Kankurou admitted unsure.

 **With Hiruzen -**

"Would you look at that! I think I finally understand what I ended-up using to try kill Orochimaru!" the Third Hokage growled to himself as he kept creeping through the small forest the First Hokage had created in the small enclosed area Orochimaru had created for their fight.

"They are pretty much immortal and indestructible, so sealing their souls away seems like the only option...Sure if Jiraiya and Tsunade too were here evening the playing field I wouldn't feel so damn tempted to do it AGAIN." Hiruzen said sighing.

"Come out, Sensei! Hiding is not in your style!" Orochimaru said aloud as he and the other two dead Hokages kept looking everywhere for his whereabouts.

"...So there goes tricking him into releasing the Jutsu voluntarily...and I don't think I can fight the three of them while at the same time try and see if helping them find ' _Closure'_ to their mortal existence will work making them pass over. If that is an option at all to begin with." Hiruzen hissed as a water shark exploded way too close to him for his comfort, but his need to remain hidden luckily overruled his instincts of dodging.

"I need a miracle, a damn big one!"

 _ **WHAAAAAM!**_

A booming, deafeningly sound shook the area making the barrier cutting Hiruzen from Jiraya, Tsunade and two dozen ANBUs ripple violently.

" **Knock! Knock! Can I join?** " Kurama asked mockingly as another punch of his landed on the barrier making it wobble heavily.

"HEY! ATTACK ON THE OTHER SIDE! I AM TRYING TO BREAK THROUGH WITH SEALS HERE!" thing followed by Jiraiya's indignant scream as the vibrations almost made him write the wrong seal on the barrier.

" **OPS! Sorry!** " the Aeon answered sheepishly as instead of punching now had moved both hands at the Barrier's sides to _squeeze it_.

 _ **WHAAAAAAM!**_

"TSUNADE!"

"Shut up, Pervert! Give me another one!" the Slug Sannin said ignoring her friend in favor of using a thick and enormous pillar of rock created by an ANBU as a battering ram to attack her side of the purple wall.

"This was supposed to be our fight, Sensei! Where is your honour?" Orochimaru asked furious as the Barrier started showing signs of distress between giant Biju and other two Sannin doing their worst to break it.

"We are ninja, Orochi-kun! Honour is not part of our job! We are not Samurais, how many times I have to tell you!? You still make the same mistake!" Hiruzen finally came out of his hiding spot to glare at the Snake Sannin.

"Sorry if I have some values!" the other replied in acidic sarcasm.

"You actually summoned us." Hashirama said.

"Three versus one is not exactly fair in itself." Tobirama added.

"Shut up you two!"

 _ **BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!**_

"What now?!" Orochimaru yelled furious.

"Fire." Auron said launching a small red gem at the barrier making it explode into a giant flare of super-hot fire.

"Water." he then said flicking what it looked like being a piece of scaled skin making a geyser of water as big as small house erupt from under the barrier.

"Lightning." then came a small yellow orb the size of a nut that made a lighting bolt to shame the best Lightning User of Kumo rain from the cloudless sky.

"Ice." then a fang of some animal transparent as glass that turned the whole area in front of him in an inferno of ice with human-sized icicles.

"Wind." and finally a very colourful feather that summoned a small tornado that engulfed a whole side of the cubic barrier.

"Non-elemental." at that an _explosion_ of darkness covered the top of the barrier.

"Holy." after that a white crystal shattered making a rain of pure-white spheres battered mercilessly the wall.

"How many of these do you have?" a very amazed Anko asked.

"…Fire." Auron answered restarting the cycle from the beginning.

"Come on! I won't tell anybody, promise!" she said begging.

 _Sigh!_ "99 of each one, then 99 of each superior version and then 99 of their supreme version." the Guardian answered with a tired sigh as he kept pelting the Barrier by uncaring throwing of small objects that summoned the powerful spells they contained once shattered.

"Supreme version?" Zabuza asked while watching the thing with red-and-blue 3D glasses for some reason only HE knew about.

"You don't want me to use them." Auron answered dryly.

" **Show off!"** Kurama said smirking while ignoring the worrying smoke coming from his hands and the smell of burning flesh following it.

"Doesn't it hurt?" Haku, he too using ice to attack the Barrier, asked curious.

" **Oh, a lot! But nothing I can't ignore.** " the Aeon answered shrugging.

"Well, may as well help along," the ANBU Captain accompanying the Sannin duo shrugged helpless as he moved through some hand-seals.

"ALL TOGETHER NOW!" the other ANBU yelled as one copying their leader.

"...I feel cheated." Orochimaru said groaning as the whole front side, the only one that STILL wasn't being attacked by either Aeon, Magic and Seals/brute strength lighted-up like a Christmas tree under the assault of a simply ridiculous number of different jutsu in every element possible the ANBU managed to launch at the same time.

( _The kitchen sink Zabuza decided to also throw at the barrier as a joke too didn't escape the annoyed Snake Master's notice.)_

"Orochimaru-sama, we are kind of getting tired here!" One of the personal guards of the Sannin keeping the barrier up said with a strained tone filled in urgency.

"Yeah! Can you please hurry-up with the revenge thing?" the only girl of the four asked growling.

"I AM TRYING! I AM TRYING!" the man answered furious.

"Anko, Zabuza, Haku..." Auron said taking out a vial that seemed to contain living shadows inside.

"Yes?" the three answered as one while the barrier finally started showing deep cracks and dulling in colour.

"Can you immobilize one of the two Hokages?" the Guardian asked.

"...Shit, those two are legends...I can try but the Nidaime kinda has me beaten in Water Manipulation, and the other can subdue Bijus, or so the legends say." Zabuza answered sounding a little unsure.

"Same here." Haku admitted.

"It would be hard to do, why you ask?" Anko said curious.

"This will kill one of them permanently, but I have only one of this." Auron answered.

"What is that?" Haku asked.

" _Farplane Shadow,_ it kills instantly by banishing the soul to the other side." he answered making the other three jump WAY back.

"And you have that in your pockets?!" Anko yelled with wide eyes.

"I have three vials of the upgraded version, but using _Farplane Wind_ would kill _everybody_ in front of me, current Hokage, Sannin and ANBU comprised. I have to target only one of those two and they cannot dodge it."

"Why you have something like that with you?" Zabuza asked worried.

"Just in case."

"Let me deal with Grandpa Hashirama then, in strength I am one of the few people that can actually face him." Tsunade offered in determination.

"I can try to cook-up some restraining seals for Tobirama then...Placing them on will be a different kind of trouble though." Jiraiya added.

" **I'** **ll** **help you in that, have no fear.** "

"It's a plan then, more or less. Ready?" the Slug Sannin offered cracking her knuckles.

"Yes!" The others replied as one.

"Use one of those ' _Supreme'_ versions, we need that barrier down." Anko said.

"...I warned you." Auron shook his head as he took a small horn from inside his coat, it was dull-yellow and already cracking in electricity.

"AGAIN! ALL AT ONCE!" Tsunade yelled as once again the ANBU present launched a last barrage of Jutsu.

" **GRAAAAAAAH!"** Kurama in the meantime used his own _Overdrive_ ' _ **Magi-Dama'**_ to launch a Magic-based version of a Biju's ' _ **Biju-dama'.**_

"Cover your eyes." All encompassed by Auron throwing the small horn at the Barrier summoning what could only be described as a lighting bolt the size of the Hokage Monument.

 _ **KRATABOOOOOOM!**_ It was no surprise that the explosion managed to have the barrier evaporate, more surprising was that of the four Oto shinobi holding it up remained enough for the coroner to later patch back together for proper burial.

"What was that?!" Zabuza asked amazed.

"A _**Thundaga Spell**_. Now move!" Auron answered as he and the others jumped Hashirama while Kurama and Jiraiya tried to have the Second Hokage sit still long enough for the Toad Hermit to cover in immobilizing seals.

"Help Jiraiya!" Hiruzen, now free to focus only on Orochimaru, ordered making the two dozen ANBU jump the second Hokage.

 **Not too far away -**

"I want one." Ay the Raikage muttered with starry eyes of childish wonder as the last sparks of the otherworldly-giant lightning were still dying-down.

"Me too." one of his personal guards admitted whining.

 **Back to Auron and the others -**

"GRAB HIM!" Zabuza yelled as he latched to Hashirama in a full-nelson while Haku covered the man's legs in ice.

"GOT HIM!" Anko added as few summoned snakes tried latching to his arms.

"AH!" giving a short scream of exertion the First Hokage broke free of the hold tearing the small snakes apart, grabbed Zabuza by the face and threw him at Haku making both tumble away from him.

"GRANDPA!" Tsunade yelled with blazing eyes as the man's moment of distraction was all she needed to nail the revived Hokage on the nose with an uppercut hitting with the force of a meteor that launched him away breaking through Haku's ice.

"Please make it work..." Auron muttered as he sealed away his sword to grab the flying Shodaime and throw him on the ground to straddle him.

As the man tried to shake the Guardian off Zabuza grabbed one of the dead man's arm to pin them down while Haku and Anko grabbed a leg each and Tsunade blocked his other arm.

"Enough." uncorking the bottle with his teeth Auron forced Hashirama's head back with one hand while holding the vial with the other.

"I CAN'T HOLD HIM, WOAH!" Zabuza roared as he went bodily lifted and shook away from the Hokage's arm that was now desperately punching the Guardian's face.

"STOP THIS FUCKING STRUGGLING!" Zabuza bellowed furious as he used his sword to cut off the free arm and driving the blade through the Shodaime's chest to stop his struggling.

"It's for your own good, dammit!" Tsunade, sick and tired of the whole thing, punched Hashirama on the mouth shattering his teeth to give Auron better access.

"Rest in peace." the Guardian, ignoring the lost of glasses, swelling eye and bleeding lips, shoved the vial in the Hokage's mouth emptying its content fully in his gullet.

"Scatter!" Haku yelled as they moved away to let the Shodaime raise to his feet.

"...Did it work?" Tsunade asked in dread as Zabuza's sword went unceremoniously thrown away as the revived Hokage marched towards them with a furious expression.

The First Hokage stopped though when a clawed hand pierced his chest from behind to take out a shining red sphere.

"It worked." Auron answered exhaling tiredly as the First Hokage dropped dead as soon as the phantom behind Hashirama let out a chilling laugh and crushed the red sphere before disappearing.

"Rest in peace, grandpa." Tsunade said sadly as the man's body broke-down to ashes signifying the Jutsu no longer worked on him.

"Now we have to worry about the second Hokage." Anko said with narrowed eyes.

"Yeah! Some help in that would be really appreciated!" Jiraiya shrieked as a tidal-wave once again tried to crush him.

" **I can hold him down, you only have to write seals on him, damnit!"** Kurama, with an eye already swelling-up from Tobirama's retaliation at being hold down, roared furious.

"You try doing it then, smartass!" the Toad Sannin answered answered.

 _Sigh!_ "Let's help them." Tsunade said sighing tiredly.

"I want a raise, nobody said I would have had to fight legendary ninja when I joined." Haku said whining.

"Me too." Anko added pouting.

"Just shut-up and help me restrain my grand-uncle." Tsunade answered rolling her eyes.

 **One hour later -**

"D-DONE!" Jiraiya, now looking like somebody that had tried taking a dive inside an active blender, said elated as the last seal activated FINALLY making Tobirama stop moving.

"Thank God!" Zabuza, completely covered in bruises, sans bandages on his face and totally drenched in water, answered collapsing on the floor.

"Too much water." Haku commented holding his broken arm with a grimace.

"Will they hold?" Tsunade asked nursing her new black eye.

"I hope so! I used the strongest one I know!" Jiraiya answered panting.

" **I'll go back in my bottle if you don't mind, I have more broken bones and bruises than hair on my fur, I need a nap."** Kurama said breaking down into pyreflies to re-enter Auron bottle while the Guardian finally recovered his sunglasses.

"What about the Third Hokage?" the Guardian asked sitting down to take a sip while a helpful ANBU looked at his wounds, just like her colleagues were doing with the others.

"Glad to see SOMEBODY finally worrying about me! Have no fear, I am fine. I just finished forcing Orochimaru to escape, he won't be back any time soon, not with how hard I shattered his pride." Hiruzen answered limping his way towards the group.

"YOU LOST AN ARM!" everybody, sans Auron, yelled with bulged-out eyes.

"Wow! What great skills of observation!" Hiruzen answered sarcastically as he watched the bloody stump on his right shoulder where an arm was supposed to be.

"Orochimaru?" the Guardian asked nonplussed while passing him the jug of Kyuubi-spiced sake.

"Nope! Had to cut it off and burn the wound closed myself, the bastard tried using that poisoned blade of his, it was the only counter I could think of." the Third Hokage answered unimpressed while taking a generous gulp.

"WAAAAH! Damn strong!...Uhm! An after-taste of cinnamon...Nice." he then said as he felt the Aeon power recharge his Chakra as a side-effect while almost burning his tongue with how strong the alcohol was.

"We are also wrapping things up now that Suna has fully surrendered, the few forces of Oto still around are being captured for later questioning." an ANBU Captain appeared to report to the old man.

"Good to hear. Now we'll need a new Hokage, I am forced to admit that I am no longer young enough for this and losing an arm won't help, even if nowadays prosthetic arms are way more advanced than when I was younger." Hiruzen admitted sighing as he sat next to Auron.

"What do you mean sensei?" Tsunade asked.

"I just mean to say-TheonethatwantstotakemyplaceasHokagesayswhat!"

"What?" both Tsunade and Jiraiya answered to the rapid-fire sentence.

"AH-hA! Jiraiya said it first!" Hiruzen yelled in triumph as he pointed at the Spy Master.

"I did what...Wait! ' _The one that wants'_...FUUUUUUCK!" the Seal Master yelled in despair once noticed.

"Aaah-haaaa! You have to be Hokage! Sucks to be you!" Tsunade said smirking evilly.

"I don't wanna! I have a Spy Network to maintain!" Jiraiya said whining.

"I am sure you'll find a way, old pervert." Tsunade answered laughing.

"What I don't understand is what was that thing you used on the other Hokage? Nothing seems able to kill the ones summoned by the _**Edo Tensei**_ , how did you do it?" the Toad Hermit asked as he managed to add more immobilizing seals on Tobirama just as a precaution.

"I used a _**Farplane Shadow**_."

"A far-what?"

"A family heirloom of his, I am sorry you had to use it to help us, Auron-kun. It was really that irreplaceable?" Hiruzen answered.

"The creature it was extracted from went extinct long ago." Auron confirmed the lie nodding.

"A pity then, we could have used another to free Tobirama." Jiraiya said sighing.

"I can use a _Candle of Life_ for him, same effect but delayed." the Guardian answered.

"You have another thing like that?" the newly-appointed Hokage asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Just one. Another heirloom." Auron clarified, in truth he had four, but they not knowing was a better option.

"Thank you then, at least I will leave Konoha knowing both my ancestors will rest in peace." Tsunade said sighing.

"Huhuhuhu!"

"Why are you chuckling, sensei?" The woman asked with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, nothing, Tsu-chan. Nothing!" the old man answered still smirking.

"Tsunade-sama!" another woman said joining the scene.

"Shizune! You are okay!" Tsunade said in elation as the woman, plus pet pig in her arms, looked worse for wear but otherwise perfectly fine.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama! And have no fear, the hospital is untouched as you ordered!" Shizune answered smiling proud.

"Good to hear..." Tsunade answered unsure.

"Yes! I was honestly impressed! I thought we would have left once helped for the Finals, but actually remaining as the head of the Hospital really surprised me! Why you didn't tell me?"

"Head of the Hospital...Yeah, it was a surprise..." the Slug Sannin said turning to glare at Hiruzen that was giving her a victory sign plus smirk in answer.

"Ah-Haa! He got you too!" Jiraiya said feeling avenged.

"Glad to see you alive." Auron said while still looking at the battered Village under them.

"Same here, my boy. Same here." Hiruzen answered nudging him a little with his shoulder.

"Sorry if I didn't stick around the first time." the old man admitted with a very sad sigh.

"You never left." Auron answered.

"Uh?"

"Here." the Guardian said tapping the area above his heart.

"Oh...Glad to hear that." Hiruzen answered with his eyes looking suspiciously wetter than before.

"What are you two talking about?" Tsunade asked.

"Personal matters, Tsunade. Nothing to worry about." the former Third Hokage answered with a wide smile.

"Well, pause is over, we have an Invasion to wrap up and rebuilding to plan, Konoha won't fix itself. Let's go." Jiraiya said cracking his back with a groan.

At once everyone of the presents jumped down to the streets of the Village to help closing another bloody chapter of the everyday struggles of a Shinobi Village, even if the knowledge that THIS TIME Hiruzen did survive the Invasion just by losing an arm did give Auron hope that things won't go too bad in the incoming days.

 **I think I will close the chapter here, I wanted to add an omake but few details of it I wasn't sure about, once polished it I will ad it in the next chapter, promise ^ ^**

 **I am happy to see this story so well received, it makes it very worth it!**

 **Next update if I manage should be Grand Arcanum and Ninetails Reborn, I have not forgot those fanfics, but I had a saddening lack of ideas about how to continue them that stopped me from writing a new chapter for them :(**

 **Said this, I thank you for reading this and for the wonderful reviews you always leave behind, you are amazing people.**

 **I'll see you around the Net, BYEEEEEEEEE!**

 **Tr230.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'll try to stay in character, but the "Silent Hero" Type is kind of hard for me, so** ** _PLEASE_** **excuse me if sometimes I will derail into OOC territory. I am not doing it on purpose** ** _this time._**

 **I took some liberties about the obects used in Final Fantasy X in place of normal spells, please forgive me.**

" **You bastard"** \- demon talking / jutsu

"Let's finish this" - dialogue

" _Can it get any worse?_ " - during flashback/ Thoughts

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything else I will use nor I make a profit out of this, I am writing just for the pleasure of doing it.**

 **(Naruto/Final Fantasy X crossover) Pairing Auron/Anko (Because I think she is the one " _Closer"_ to being Like _Rikku_ was in the game).**

 **Chapter 5: Back to normalcy.**

 **Konoha – Hokage Tower -**

Auron the former Guardian was sitting on a chair right outside the Hokage Office with his sword laid against the wall next to him as he looked at the people walking by. Things had only just recently returned to normal in Konoha once the final fixing of the damages the Invasion had brought were finally over, and yet, the man knew that he himself would soon be asked questions about the uncanny resemblance between his Aeon and the still-missing nine-tailed fox Biju.

And lo and behold, just few minutes earlier he had been called to the Hokage Office for what he suspected will be that exact kind of questions.

"The Hokage will now meet you." the Hokage's secretary said opening the door for him and receiving a nod in answer as the man recovered his sword.

"Glad you accepted to come here." Jiraiya said gruffly from behind the desk.

"Do not sulk like that, Jiraiya-kun! I did this for years and I am still here, you won't die for some stamping and signing!" Hiruzen said chuckling as he used his sparkling new wooden arm (one of the many ways Suna used to apology) to refill his sake dish.

"Still going to say that being tricked into accepting the job is unfair." he answered grunting.

"He tricked me into staying here too, remember." Tsunade said barging inside the room once ' _gently'_ knocked on the door until the hinges gave-in.

"Let me guess...More budget or you'll cave my skull in?" Jiraiya said sighing.

"Yup! Sign-up!" she said giving him the already-compiled papers.

 _Sigh!_ "Okay, I'll reduce the budget for the Elders' retiring fund then, is not like they need all that money." Jiraiya said signing and stamping the papers for approval.

"A Hokage should not accept defeat that easily, Jiraiya." Hiruzen said.

"Do you want to be the one telling her no, sensei?" the New Hokage answered jabbing a thumb towards Tsunade that was already cracking her knuckles.

"Oh, Hell no! I already lost an arm, thank you!" Hiruzen answered laughing.

"Why I am here?" Auron finally asked making the others jump.

"SHIIIT! I forgot you were here!" Jiraiya yelled in surprise.

"Please don't do this again, my boy! My heart can take only so much." Hiruzen added drying the sake he had splashed himself with.

"..." the Guardian simply lifted an eyebrow at that.

"...You really need to teach me how to do that and still make it seem super-expressive." Tsunade muttered impressed.

"By the way, it seems like your Aeon kind of awoke a wasp nest as big as Konoha itself." Jiraiya said returning professional and sighing tiredly.

"Because he looks like the Kyuubi." Auron said nodding.

" **Wow! I look like myself! What a shock!** " Kurama answered in overly-accentuated drama.

"What do they want?" the swordsman asked.

"Somebody-"

"Danzo." Tsunade said rolling her eyes.

"Somebody." Jiraiya repeated, "Has started wondering if _Aeon_ and _Biju_ were two ways to call the same thing." he finished saying.

"And they are?" Auron asked back.

"I fought that thing, and while I may have missed the tattoos on the tails, I do not remember it wearing those fancy accessories." Hiruzen replied shrugging.

" **It's called** _ **Fashion**_ **, you may want to look it up, old monkey!"** Kurama replied huffing annoyed making Auron grumble.

"Yeah, it made me groan too." Jiraiya admitted at hearing that suffuse sound.

"Nothing about the Magic?" Tsunade asked curious.

"Magic?" the other two chorused.

"How would you call tossing a marble at a barrier and summon elemental attacks instead of Jutsu?" the woman answered crossing her arms.

"That too was not easy, but as you explained, it was just parts of monsters you channeled Chakra through to activate them, so those people relented because the expenses of going oversea to hunt those beasts down and come back made it counter-productive."

"Mana, not Chakra." Auron said.

"Same thing, We-"

"Mana is the spiritual power of the body, Chakra is the energy bridging Mana and Chi. Physical Power and Spiritual power."

"That...Was actually insightful." Tsunade admitted earning a one-armed shrug in answer from Auron.

"What now?"

"Now we'll need to explain to them that your Aeon is not a Biju, especially not our Kyuubi." Jiraiya answered.

"...They are not the same thing...Right?" he then asked pleading.

"They aren't." Auron answered.

"Can you prove it? Please? Just to make them shut-up." the Hokage pleaded groaning.

"How?"

"...Eh! That is exactly the problem."

 _Sigh!_ "Do we have a Sensor Ninja we can ask? Possibly one that was there the night Kyuubi attacked and remembers what the Biju's chakra feels like?" Tsunade said rolling her eyes.

"Maybe?" Hiruzen answered unsure.

"Auron?"

"Kurama is a Aeon, they do not posses Chakra, just high amounts of Magic." Auron answered.

"Then let's try with the sensor ninja." Tsunade said scratching her eyes.

"I am already on it." a heavily bandaged man said smirking in superiority as he pushed inside a wheelchair with a half-catatonic man on it.

"Oh, yes...Mikichi-kun...he ' _kind of'_ survived in a way." Hiruzen said wincing.

"What happened to him?" Jiraiya asked.

"The Kyuubi stepped on him, if he is alive, it's a miracle in itself, by now he can't even eat or take care of himself, but we just need him to confirm or deny our Auron here has stolen our Biju." Danzo answered glaring at Auron.

"..." with a few heavy steps the Former Guardian moved to be at few inches from Danzo to look at him in the eyes from above his sunglasses.

"..."

"...Can we please go on? Nobody of us here actually has time to waste." Jiraiya finally said as he himself wheeled the poor man out.

"Yes." Auron answered as he followed the Hokage, Hiruzen and Tsunade outside.

"Uh?" it was then that Danzo noticed the few drops of sweat running down his forehead.

"...Very impressive man, very impressive indeed." the bandaged man admitted humming in appreciation.

 **Few minutes later – outside the Village -**

"So! This place should be big enough." Jiraiya said as the group watched the ample area in front of them.

"Aaah! Konoha's own testing ground for new jutsu! So many memories." Hiruzen said with a longing sigh.

"Memories are a waste of time, let's get this over with!" Danzo said taking Auron's jug and emptying its content on the floor.

"..."

"..."

"That was one-hundred ryous worth of Iwa Rum." Auron said coldly.

"Ooow." Jiraiya and Tsunade commented grimacing at that, they understood what a waste of high-class liqueur that truly was and as fellow _connoisseurs_ of alcohol, they understood the man's inner sorrow completely and could relate.

"Where is it?! I interrogated few bystanders and they said you summoned the Kyuubi from this bottle!" Danzo growled shaking the jug wildly.

"The jug is the medium, not the container. And Kurama is my Aeon, not a Biju." Auron answered taking back the jug and rising it to the sky so that SOMEHOW a long stream of liquid could come out and repeat the Summoning Sequence.

"...Does it always do that?" Tsunade asked curious once the sky cleared and Kurama landed in front of the group.

"Unfortunately, yes." Auron answered.

" **It's outside my control, it's '** _ **Standard Aeon Summoning'**_ **Procedure, there is not a** _ **Short Version**_ **of it.** " Kurama answered shrugging.

"A bit over-dramatic and absolutely not stealthy, but if the occasion demands you to summon him, stealth had already stopped being an issue." Jiraiya added while looking impressed.

"So? Is it-"

" **HE. I am a male.** " Kurama interrupted.

"Is it a Biju? Is it OUR Kyuubi?" Danzo asked nonplussed.

" **I hope that other than an eye they cut of your dick too.** "

"They did. AH!" Hiruzen blurted-out before noticing and covering his mouth with both hands.

"HIRUZEN!" Danzo screeched with a red face.

"SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO REVEAL THAT!"

"Nnh...Nnh!" the poor man looked at Kurama intently, making the giant fox bend down to lock eyes with him.

"Nnnh?"

"So?" Danzo asked again.

"...Nnh." the man shook his head in the negative, all while still moving slightly back on his seat.

"Well, considering that he may very well have a natural aversion for ANY form of giant foxes, he is still not showing the sheer terror somebody meeting again the monster that almost killed them should have..." Tsunade said humming in thought.

"I think we can give dear Kurama the benefit of the doubt." Jiraiya confirmed.

" **Thank you.** " Kurama answered as his body broke down into pyryflies to return inside Auron's bottle.

"Then the next order of business should be decide in what shinobi to seal it to have a Jinchuuriki-like ninja."

"..."

"..."

"...What?"

"Danzo...You sometimes sound like a parody of yourself...Do you even think about something that is not related to Power/Military campaigns/Konoha's power/YOUR power/etc?" Hiruzen asked worried.

"Do you have a hobby or something at least?" Tsunade added with a sad expression.

"I frame copies of Successful Mission Reports, but I fail to see what this has anything to do about Konoha needing to be the strongest-HEY! Where are you going!?"

"Let's go, Auron-kun. I know a bar that serves some wonderful Whiskey directly from oversea! And a little bird told me that just yesterday they got a new shipment so today it will be the perfect time to have few samples." Hiruzen offered as he and the Guardian walked away.

"As you wish."

"I am coming too, I feel like having some myself, sensei." Tsunade added soon following them.

"I still need to finish my paperwork before taking a pause, so I'll better get it done before night comes." Jiraiya said yawning and disappearing with a **shunshin.**

"Hmm, hnn!" the man on the wheelchair wheeled himself away while muttering something that sounded like a VERY poor excuse to leave Danzo alone.

"..." a very cold wind then blew around the solitary bandaged man making his robes flutter.

"I am not one-dimensional, I am a very interesting character with a tragic background and great relevance." He said stubbornly to himself.

"Yes, yes I am. They just don't understand how interesting I am with my worrying about the well-being of Konoha, or its future, or its position of power, or my being a better Hokage, or what our enemies may be doing right now, or..." the man kept saying as he walked away ALONE towards his empty house where he lived ALONE because his old wife ' _for some reason_ ' decided she wanted to divorce him and take the kids and grand-kids away.

But it was clearly a sign she was not as invested in Konoha's future as he was, Danzo thought.

 **The next day – Konoha – Training ground 7 -**

"Just leave me alone, Dobe!" Sasuke growled as he marched away from the group.

"Stop cutting people off, Bastard! We are friends! We are here to help you!" Kiba answered trying to stop him from leaving.

"I don't need friends!" the Uchiha boy answered as he ran away.

 _Sigh!_ "Everyday he gets worse." Kakashi muttered sighing in dismay.

"Troubles?"

"AH! Auron-san! Good evening."

"Kurenai was looking for Kiba, what is happening?" the former Guardian asked.

"I am just desperately trying to help one of my students snap out of his funk, but the temporary dismantling of our Team only aggravated the ongoing issues I have." the masked man answered groaning.

"You are still short of a Genin?"

"Dear Tezuka-kun is recovering, but doctors confirmed he won't be a ninja anymore once out of the Hospital, too much damage." Kakashi answered.

"And Kiba?"

"I tried to see if the quasi-rivalry between the two would have helped, but even that and the fact that Team 7 could still train together even without taking Missions was not enough. He is cutting everybody off and simply isolating himself."

"I see."

" **Hey, if I am not mistaken...In a week there will be the ' _anniversary'_ of our first death, you know, the battle at the Valley of the End.** " Kurama suggested unsure.

" _Things will repeat?"_

" **I don't know, but if they do, this time there will be nobody there to fight the brat to stop him, contrary with when you were a Genin, this time the kid managed to alienate everybody, so there won't be a ' _Friend'_ still determined to help him.** " the Aeon answered making the Guardian hum in thought.

"A Ryou for your thoughts?" Kakashi asked once noticed the moment of introspection of the man.

"Just personal matters. If you want to resolve this, you'll have to break through his ego first, that layer is way more thick than what you believe." Auron answered while walking towards the sad-looking Inuzuka heir.

"Sensei?" the boy said in surprise as he noticed only in that moment that the man was in the Training Ground at all.

"Kurenai is looking for you, there is a Team Meeting." the man said.

"Oh! I-I must have missed the memo." the boy tried saying with a forced smile.

"Hn. Just go."

"Okay!" the other answered nodding, somehow catching the message that he was not in trouble.

"Be strong, Kakashi. Your real trial as a sensei starts now." the man said as he walked past Kakashi while following Kiba.

"What do you mean?"

"You will see."

"...I don't understand." the masked Jounin muttered looking extremely troubled.

 **With Auron and Kiba -**

"When we reach Kurenai, I will alert the others as well."

"About what?"

"For a while Kurenai will need to work without me."

"Without you? Why?" the boy asked shocked.

"I need to go on a Mission, it will take few days."

"A mission, Auron-sensei?"

"More I can't tell you."

"Oh! That secretive!? Sounds awesome!" Kiba said excited.

"Unfortunately it is not."

"Don't worry! You are awesome! You will pull it off!"

"Hn."

"...A bit more enthusiasm no, eh?" the Inuzuka heir commented sighing in dismay.

"It's not who I am."

" **Yeah, and I miss THAT '** _ **You'**_ **a lot!"** Kurama answered with a sad expression.

"Just be careful, okay?"

"I will." Auron answered with a small nod.

 **Later that day – Mission Center -**

" **What exactly are we looking for?** " Kurama asked as he watched his Partner skimmed through a huge pile of Mission scrolls.

"For a Mission in the area of Grass Country." Auron muttered in answer.

" **Why?"**

"The Valley of the End is the shortest path to Grass Country, from there is two days of (Shinobi speed-wise) walk to Sound Village."

" **And by Sarutobi's own admission, Sound Village may very well be under the direct control of Orochimaru. Reached the place, the Uchiha brat could have been brought anywhere...** **H** **ad he survived the clash between the Rasengan and the Chidori.** " Kurama said in realization.

"Exactly. But we need an excuse to be outside Konoha before and during that day."

" **Why not stopping it altogether?** "

"The Sound Four will start the kidnapping, they are the snake Sannin personal bodyguards and main Lackeys, we need them in Konoha so to capture and interrogate them."

" **And this means hope things will play along just the same, and so letting the whole Recovery Mission happen.** "

"Things are already in motion."

"And just like a river, things cannot be stopped completely without making a mess, following the flow remains our best option." Hiruzen added as he joined the room.

"...You were listening in." Auron said with a raised eyebrow.

"More likely I was making sure nobody was eavesdropping or disturbing you, and as you said, those four are the main lead we have about Orochimaru's overall plans, even if knowing my former student, they too may know very little." the former Third Hokage answered while handing a scroll to the former Guardian.

"Here. A Five-days-long mission in Grass Village, I placed an order for a decorative bronze plaque for my home there...Well, I did it under fake name, but I will still use it to decorate my living room all the same."

"Thanks." Auron answered pocketing the scroll.

"I too was aware of the upcoming date, and I managed to nudge things along so that the Sound Four will be captured alive for questioning, whatever loyalty they have won't last with the _Special Preparations_ I asked Ibiki and Anko to be ready with, in this week they will organiza their best tricks."

"Good. I will deal with Sasuke-san then. Good day," Auron answered with a small bow as he walked towards the door.

"Will you fight the boy?"

"No, I have other plans." he answered before closing the door behind himself.

"...I hope he doesn't plan on killing him to avenge his honour, his old self was against that, but the current _him_ kind of worries me." Hiruzen muttered to himself unsure.

 **A week later – Valley of the End -**

" **GATSUGA!** " a very exhausted Kiba yelled while betting his whole being in a last attack as his jutsu summoned around himself a drill-like tornado overcharged in chakra.

" **CHIDORI!** " to that Sasuke, showing the monstrous transformation of the second level of Cursed Seal turning him into a demonic-looking entity, answered with a black-coloured chidori jutsu sparkling in wildly flaying lightning.

 **WHAM!**

The two techniques collided for barely an instant before Sasuke's lightning destroyed the tornado around Kiba, and if the Inuzuka boy could survive the thing with only a deep gush on his back instead of being pierced through, was all thanks to the backlash of the Gatsuga failing and his own spinning launching him away...That and Sasuke's own unwillingness to hurt him causing him to subconsciously dropping the technique as soon as the other boy's jutsu went dispersed.

"GUAAAAAH!" Kiba screamed in pain as he was launched against the stones under their battle ground in a splattering of blood from the deep wound on his back, it was clear that a huge scar will be remaining along his spine from their fight.

"Ahh...Ahh...Ahh...I-In the end...I am still weak...I could not kill you...I am pathetic..." Sasuke said growling while wheezing in agony from the transformation, his fight with Kiba AND his barely escaping the clutches of the ANBU squads that somehow were waiting for him and the Sound Four to leave Konoha.

"Grrr..." Akamaru, he too having took a heavy beating during the fight, summoned his last strength to stand protectively in front of Kiba.

"...The Dobe is lucky...He always had somebody there ready to help him, I was alone...Always alone...But not anymore." Sasuke, dropping the transformation, said taking away his forehead protector and tossing it at Akamaru.

"I'll be strong, powerful. Then being alone won't be an issue anymore..." he then said groaning as he dragged himself away only to stop abruptly.

Because he saw Auron himself calmly sitting on a small rock right in front of the giant waterfall dominating the Valley of the End, sitting alone and drinking as he watched the old statues of Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju forever locked in a fighting stance one against the other.

"A toast to the fallen, may you be always remembered."

 _Gulp!_

"A toast to the living, may your life be one of Peace."

 _Gulp!_

"And a toast to the Gods, may their eyes never find on our happiness, less misery befall on our life."

 _Gulp!_

Auron recited between gulps, those were the words of the teachings of his time as a monk, only _customized_ to reflect his view on the whole cult of Yevon, Destiny and Gods as a whole.

"It's the strangest prayer I ever heard." Sasuke admitted as he carefully approached the man.

"The Cult of Yevon has always done things its way, that is why I left it." the other answered.

"Are you here to stop me as well?" the young boy asked in barely-hidden dread, he knew that a Jounin was the last enemy he could face in his current state.

"Are you leaving Konoha?"

"...Yes." he answered taking a fighting stance.

"On your own free will?"

"Yes. Nobody threatened me. I feel like the Village is holding me back."

 _Chink!_

To Sasuke's surprise the former Guardian moved his bottle on a near flat rock.

"You are doing this on your own free will and will shoulder its consequences. Then drink with me a last time, next time we meet we'll be enemies. As a farewell between warriors of Konoha." Auron answered.

"..." Sasuke was speechless about the offering, but then he remembered, the man in front of him was not a shinobi born in Konoha, but an outsider from a different land, and a disgraced monk at that.

"...Who says the wine is not drugged?" the young boy asked with narrowed eyes.

"Hn." Auron answered showing the small dish he had been drinking from barely a minute before.

"Ah!...Yes, sorry." the Uchiha survivor admitted sounding almost ashamed as he took the bottle in his hands.

"May I?"

"Hurry up, they will arrive shortly." Auron answered unfazed.

"Thank you, Auron-san. If ever we'll see each-other again, it will be as enemies." the boy said taking a big gulp with his eyes bulging-out with how strong the wine was.

"Good." Auron said nodding as he got up to walk towards Sasuke…

 _ **Thud!**_

And pluck the bottle from the boy's hands an instant before he fell down face-first on the floor.

" **Eh! That drug sure works wonders!** " Kurama said amused.

"It does." Auron admitted as he hosted Sasuke on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"H-How? You said..."

"I said the wine was not drugged, not the bottle's rim." the Guardian answered.

"And yet you were drinking from it." Sasuke groaned as he felt his body being absolutely unresponsive to his commands.

"I used another bottle to fill the dish."

"Oh. So Konoha asked you to stop me?" the boy asked sounding especially betrayed by that.

"No, I have used that drug for a Mission I was returning from, I decided to dip my hand after watching you fight Kiba."

"Why you stopped me? Konoha holds me down, I will never flourish there." the Uchiha boy said almost in tears.

"...Call it revenge if you want, or Fate. I stopped you from doing something extremely stupid as you were ready to throw away everything to follow the offer of a monster."

"I-"

"You are not alone, you never were." Auron cut him off as they reached the group of ANBU already patching-up Kiba and Akamaru under the intense scrutiny of Kakashi himself.

"...You felt this was coming, don't you, Auron-san?" the masked Jounin asked looking at the waterfall with empty eyes.

"Bitterness and powerlessness make us do stupid things, we latch on lies and empty promises desperately in hope for salvation, and we condemn ourselves." Auron answered unceremoniously throwing Sasuke at Kakashi that barely managed to catch the flying boy.

"Personal experience?" a near ANBU asked with a sad tone.

"Ready to go, Kiba?" the man ignored the question as he looked at his student being moved on a stretcher.

"Good as new, sensei." the Genin groaned in answer with a weak smile while his dog companion slept next to him.

"Let's go then."

"Auron-san!" Kakashi called-out before the group could depart.

"Hn?"

"You meant this when you talked about my trial as a sensei, isn't it?" the other asked.

"He believes to be alone and that Konoha is holding him back, if that is not true, help him understand that before it's too late, or he will escape again and throw his life away on empty promises..." Auron answered.

" **Like Jecht and Braska-san?"** Kurama asked sadly.

" _And many other before them that sacrificed themselves to hold Sin back for a short time._ " Auron answered.

" **Sometimes even just a temporary solution is better than nothing, it still gave people some measure of Peace in-between sacrifices. No matter how wrong the whole things is.** "

" _True."_

"What life was yours before you came here? What happened?" Kakashi muttered to himself too low to be heard as he followed the Guardian and ANBU back to Konoha.

Unknown to him, Sasuke too was having similar thoughts as he watched that strange man, almost sensing the shadows of the man's past hanging above him in such a similar way to his own to almost scare the boy down to his core.

" _Will I be like that? Is ITACHI like that? Powerful and yet alone and plagued by memories and pasts sins? Is that the price for power?_ "

The paralyzed boy was silent the whole way back to Konoha, and yet his eyes never left the back of Auron's head, as if he was trying to see though the man to look for some answers to his own deeply-buried doubts.

 **Meanwhile – Konoha – Hokage Tower -**

"So, Jiraiya-kun, news?" Hiruzen asked with narrowed eyes.

"Mostly bad news, sensei." the current Hokage answered sighing in dismay.

"Please elaborate."

"The Kyuubi still has to surface, and at the same time this _Akatsuki_ Organization I was keeping tabs on has dropped any and all work as a mercenary group to turn into full-fledged Terrorists."

"Uh? How so?" Hiruzen asked curious.

"There have been several attacks on minor Villages and _probing ones_ on major ones like Mist and Iwa, especially against Mist and their Jinchuuriki, same going for Iwa."

"Uhm...You suspect something?"

"More or less, sensei, the recently attacked Kumo too and literally focused on the Two-tailed Jinchuuriki living there. So they are either trying to see how they would fare against a Biju Vessel should they decide to attack a Village…Or the Jinchuuriki themselves are their Target." Jiraiya explained tiredly passing a hand on his face.

"And the other Villages? What are they doing about this?" Hiruzen asked worried.

"As far as I can tell, Ay the Raikage is out for blood, but since the _**Akatsuki**_ never seem to have had a Base of Operation anywhere, thus making tracking them very difficult, that meat-head can just growl and shake his fists at the wind since he has not a clear target to attack."

"And Iwa?"

"Onoki went the other way around, he is turning his Village into a fortress as we speak, since he too can't find where those fools meet to organize, he prefers to wait for them to come to him and fight on Iwa's territory so to have the advantage of playing in a well-known play-field." Jiraiya answered.

"I see, should the Jinchuuriki be their real target, what do you think they want from them?"

"Honestly, sensei? I have no idea...I am torn between two options, they want to steal the Biju so to seal them into their men to become more powerful OR they want them gone so to freely attack their Village whenever they want. The fact though that none of them came here makes me think that _SOMEHOW_ they know we no longer have a Jinchuuriki, contrary to the other Villages that think we have one and are keeping him or her very well hidden."

"We also have Auron-kun's Aeon, Kurama." Hiruzen said smirking.

"Yeah, and I am doing my best to make sure everybody knows he is not a Biju...And believe it or not somebody is ' _Shipping'_ that Aeon with our Biju, others instead fear that should the two creatures actually copulate we'll have an army of proto-Kyuubi to use to create more Jinchuuriki." Jiraiya answered in disbelief.

"...Really?"

"It's gossip, sensei, even I admitted defeat in front of such imagination."

" _So they are shipping Kurama with himself? I know that fox is a bit narcissistic, but that would be too much even for him! At least I can rest assured that his being reborn as a Aeon should not put him and Auron in the Akatsuki's hit-list too soon."_ the old man thought sighing as he and Jiraiya kept talking about the results of the man's Spy Network's inquires around the Elemental Countries.

 **At the same time – hidden base uner Rain Village -**

Contrary to what every other Kage and their respective spies believed, the Akatsuki Organization DID posses a secret Headquarters, a secret base to be precise, deeply hidden under the Kage Tower of Rain Village and so out of the others' list of possible hiding spot because of said preposterous position.

"So? No trace of the Kyuubi still?" the Leader of Akatsuki, a man with orange hair and strange purple eyes, asked with a growl.

"None whatsoever." answered the Leader's spy, he was a man whose body was vertically divided in two with one half pure-white and the other pure-black, all encompassed by a fly-trap-like plant.

" **I can't believe they managed to hide that Jinchuuriki from us...It never happened before...** " the man's black half said with a tone of pure disbelief.

"If even Zetsu is failing, it means that they know we are looking for the Biju." the only woman of the assembled group said with a thoughtful expression.

"Konan is right, somebody must have talked." another member said gruffly.

"If we have a traitor then give them to me, I am sure that before Jashin takes their life they will talk, Yahahahaha!" another answered with a deranged laugh escaping him.

"Just to be on the safe side, we'll have a little round of _cleaning_ to be sure we don't actually have spies in our ranks, should this happen, you two will be free to play with them as you wish once they told us for who they work for. Just see to not kill them before we got our answers, Hidan and Kakuzu, do not challenge me."

"As you wish, Pein-sama!" the two men answered nodding.

"Deidara? How did the Villages react to our small attacks?" the Leader then asked.

"Huhuhu! Just as we expected! That paranoid idiot of Onoki is closing every hole of the Village to prepare for an incoming attack, of we let him close every escape route he has in his blind paranoia, smoking out their Jinchuuriki will be way easier! Ay instead is foaming at the mouth to find us, wasting resources to avenge his pride." the blond man answered looking extremely amused.

"Good, prepare a fake attack on Rain Village too, just to divert attention from here as possible location for our HQ. As for the rest, continue as usual, see how many thugs we can take in to act as distraction for the various Villages, until we are ready, we can't start with our hunt, ESPECIALLY if the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki is still nowhere to be found." the Leader ordered.

"Yes, Pein-sama!" the assembled members of Akatsuki answered as one before leaving, so that only Pein and Konan would remain in the room.

"What do you think?" the man asked.

"I still don't like this plan, nor I like that man calling himself Madara, especially with how fanatically he pronounces that name." Konan answered bluntly.

"I am aware of your dislike, just as I am aware of your being against our employing S-Class Missing-nins as our main force."

"And yet we are working with them." Konan answered bitterly.

"Just be patient, soon we'll be done with them and that masked fool of Madara...Or Obito, if we have to use his real name." Pein answered smirking making Konan turn around to look at him in surprise.

"Just like you don't trust him, I too don't, nor him or his dear friend Zetsu. That is why I say that once done collecting Biju me and you should go somewhere nice and far away, like a Tropical Island conveniently not appearing on the maps."

"How do you..."

"There is very little that can be hidden from the **Rin'negan** , and after Danzo's betrayal I am even more paranoid when it comes to our partners in crime. I am the only one that can summon the **Gedo Mazu** statue, so once filled it with the Biju as ' _Madara'_ suggested, I will send it away and disappear from the scenes. I never was fully convinced that just by having a super weapon we'll achieve World Peace, it never sounded convincing if you ask me! It would have made us to be the Supreme target of everybody in the Elemental Countries and THEN it would have caused a World War for the possession of the ultimate weapon...And that is not Peace if you ask me." Pein explained.

"So you think Obito-san's plans are different from what he told us?" Konan asked with narrowed eyes.

"I have some ' _gut feeling'_ so to speak; he looks and acts too smart to believe that just because we have a super-cannon loaded in Biju Chakra then everybody will live in Peace with a big smile on their faces. No, the statue must just be the first step of something bigger he is not telling us, especially if that _Thing_ feels 'Alive' whenever I summon it. I don't like this, but FOR NOW, we'll have to play along." Pein answered with a grave expression.

"Zetsu can infiltrate everywhere, how can we escape him?" Konan asked worried.

"We'll find a way, I will protect you, I promise." Pein answered grabbing her hand.

"I am counting on it." the woman answered with a small smile.

 **At the same time – with Zetsu – Opposite side of the Base -**

"Welcome back, Obito-kun." White Zetsu said smiling as a masked man appeared next to him from a vortex distorting Reality itself.

"Don't use that name! We still can't show our hand." Obito answered bitterly.

"Have no fear, the other boys are out playing while Konan and Pein are busy planning the next step of our plan." White Zetsu answered chuckling.

"Still no trace of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki?" Obito asked.

" **Not a shred! We can't find him or her and it's driving me nuts!"** Black Zetsu answered growling.

"You sure we can't use that guy's Aeon? That thing looks like the Kyuubi's long lost Big Brother." White Zetsu added sighing.

" **That thing has no Chakra inside, no matter how incredible it sounds, so even if we capture it, the** _ **Ritual**_ **will simply try to pull water out of a rock. It would be just a waste of time, effort and resources."** The black half answered annoyed.

"We'll manage, we are still finalizing our forces so there is no rush, and considering Jiraiya is the current Hokage, I am not surprised that old man managed to hide the Jinchuuriki's identity even from your eyes, there is hardly a Spy Master able to match him unfortunately." Obito answered with an annoyed tone.

" **Ooh! But I'll find out who's the bastard all the same! It's a matter of honor now!"**

"Do as you please, in the meantime, I should have found a good alternative in case we can't find the Kyuubi by the time we have done collecting the other eight Biju." Obito answered.

"Oh! Do tell!" White Zetsu said looking very interested in the thing.

" _ **At least like that we'll be able to use the incomplete Ten Tails to hunt down the Kyuubi, they can't hide a Fox if the Village around it ceases to exist!**_ " Black Zetsu mentally added.

"It is quite simple, We'll just need to locate two very infamous brothers and a young brat..." Obito answered as under his mask, his face morphed into a smile of pure malice.

 **Back to Konoha – the next day -**

Hiruzen and Jiraiya were once again meeting in great secret in the Hokage's Office with the Spy Master showing a satisfied smile on his face while he filled his and Hiruzen's dishes in wine.

"To your operation, sensei! As we speak Ibiki and Anko are mind-raping the Sound Four for everything they know while Kakashi is personally forcing the Uchiha Brat to talk about his issues with the help of Inoichi, the boy will either resolve his issues or die drowned in those two endless talking!" Jiraiya said offering a toast to the former Third Hokage.

"I would chalk it up more on Luck than abilities, Jiraiya-kun. It was Luck I intercepted that spy of Orochimaru organizing the kidnapping and it was Luck both our ANBU and Auron-kun were open to help." Hiruzen answered with a smirk as he accepted the wine.

"Luck and the powder of a Spiran Monster's horn able to paralyze even somebody with a Cursed Mark, we had to wait for the effects to wear-off by themselves because even Tsunade could not counter it!" the Sannin replied laughing.

"Details, my boy! Mere details!" the old man replied chuckling.

"Be as you say, something tells me the Snake Bastard will be VEEEEEERY angry right now! We fouled his plans and thanks to the Cursed Marks on the Uchiha boy, on Anko AND on the Sound Four, I am very close at unraveling how they are made so to remove them! I can even say that in a week or so I will crack open the formula and freely remove them." Jiraiya said smugly.

"Hohoho! Wonderful! Very wonderful!" Hiruzen commented pleased.

"Next order of business though is the Akatsuki, we need to prepare for their coming somehow." Jiraiya said dropping his smile to show a more worried expression.

"We all will train hard, Jiraiya. From the ANBU down to the Genin, we'll make our training ten times harder and more intense! Or even one-hundred times harder!" Hiruzen said with a determined expression.

"So we should act as if going to war?" the Hokage asked grimly.

"Those people, as you said, may have _Plans_ for the Jinchuuriki, and if they really want the Biju (ALL OF THEM) under their control, they must be planning for something big. And without a Jinchuuriki of our own to back us up, we'll have to be extra prepared, they won't spare us just because we don't have what they want." Hiruzen explained.

"I'll see what I can do, sensei. I'll try to alert everybody that starting from tomorrow we'll raise the bar for our requisites, just like we did last time during a Shinobi War. If Onoki is locking-down Iwa, and Ay is mobilizing every Shinobi of Kumo just like Suna and Mist are, we cannot lag behind and take measures for when this Wasp Nest those people woke-up will explode into a frenzy.

"Dark Times are approaching, Jiraiya...I fear this small _Peace_ we had up until now won't last long, especially since we also added Orochimaru to this by thwarting his plans."

" _I'll need to talk with Auron, even if no longer a Biju, if the Akatsuki gets desperate enough they may target him as well_." Hiruzen thought in worry as he could clearly see the situation slowly spiral out of control.

He just hoped they all will have enough time to prepare, especially since starting that moment, they could no longer rely on the memories of the Guardian's past life, they were on their own against unknown menaces and in uncharted territories now, failure was not an option now more than ever.

 **End of the chapter -**

 **Omake – Kurenai, please follow the rules! -**

Team Kurenai, with the addiction of Auron, Zabuza and Haku, were just returning from a long-term Mission when a group of daring Missing-Nin intercepted them.

"WAIT! What is this music! And why you others are all standing in place?!" Kurenai asked disturbed.

"It's the battle theme, Woman! Now fight!" Zabuza said from the sidelines where he, Haku and both Hinata and Kiba stood in wait.

"WHAT!? What are you even doing down there! Come here!" the woman replied furious.

"Only three at a time, sensei." Shino replied nonplussed while nobody moved.

"COME ON, WOMAN! ATTACK! It's your damn turn!" one of the Missing-nin, they too just in a group of three while the others were on the back in wait, yelled annoyed.

"Turn?"

"Turn-based Combat, Kurenai, it's your turn." Auron answered while pointing at the _Roster_ showing the battle turns.

"WHERE THAT THING EVEN COME FROM?!" the Genjutsu expert shrieked in shock.

" **Thank God we do not follow that '** _ **ATB Bar'**_ **set of rules, she would have killed us all with her tantrums.** " Kurama commented making Auron sigh and shake his head.

"You know what?! WHATEVER!" Kurenai yelled as she charged one of the Missing-nin unopposed and attacking him while the man didn't even tried to dodge or defend himself.

She also decided to not comment on the ' _ **1267**_ ' number that appeared above the man's head once her attack connected.

"Your _ATK_ is too low, Kurenai." Auron commented as one of the Missing-nin attacked him to show a _**2**_ _ **32**_ number.

"OH, DO SHUT UP!" she answered furious.

"COME ON, SWITCH HER WITH ME, PARTNER! MY OVERDRIVE BAR IS FULL! I WANT TO UNLEASH MY SPECIAL MOVE!" Zabuza yelled whining from the backlines.

 _Sigh!_ "This Team is driving me crazy...I am sure of it..." Kurenai muttered in despair as the others around her kept acting as if all of that was normal until the battle was over.

 _(Insert Final Fantasy Victory Fanfare_ )

"What the...WAIT! Why I got so little Exp!?" Kurenai asked looking extremely offended.

"You did little besides complaining, Kurenai." Auron answered simply as the group walked away.

"BULLSHIT! I FOUGHT AS WELL! I _**DESERVE**_ THOSE EXP POINTS!"

"Not with that attitude, sweaty!" Zabuza answered laughing.

"AAAAAARGH!"

 **End of the Omake.**

 **Sorry about the Omake's quality, I had this idea floating inside my head for a while but didn't know how to develop it, I hope the end result was acceptable.**

 **SO! This now begs the question, how to treat the Time-skip? Auron cannot undertake Sage Training as he is not part of a Summoning Clan...So how to make him stronger (IN A BELIEVABLE WAY) so to later face the Akatsuki and the others?**

 **Please help, I do not want to ruin the story by taking the wrong turn, I trust your judgment enough to be very open to suggestions. Thank you!**

 **Next order of updates will be:**

 _ **OP Familiar**_

 _ **Umbra Familiar**_

 _ **Legend of Zelda**_

 _ **Thrice Cursed**_

 _ **It's the Hands I guess.**_

 **Thank you for reading me, I will see you around the net, Bye!**

 **Tr230.**


End file.
